Noblesville teacher who took band to 'Super Bowl for high school jazz' might win a Grammy

Generally speaking, a jazz band is going to struggle if only half its members can play together at a given time. The tune just isn't quite the same with entire instrument sections blowing along in their bedrooms while stuck on a muted, slightly pixelated Zoom call.

You might assume, then, that this would be a particular obstacle if all of the musicians in question were high school students navigating academics, sports and teenage life with waning attention spans during an unprecedented viral pandemic.

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But Bethany Robinson has spent more than 10 years molding Noblesville High School's jazz program into a state powerhouse, growing it from one band to five ensembles made up of 115 students -- the most advanced of whom are capable of making an in-tune, on-time noise at the national level.

"My job centers around creativity," Robinson said Tuesday as she ducked out of a noisy band room into the Noblesville High hall. "Any time you hit obstacles like this, that's when your creativity really has to kick in to figure out OK, so we have all these obstacles, but how can we turn these into opportunities?"

Noblesville's advanced band finished second in its division at the 2021 National Jazz Festival and was one of just 15 ensembles selected to perform remotely at the annual Essentially Ellington jazz festival at Lincoln Center in New York City.

And Robinson, a trained bassist from Kokomo who began teaching music at Noblesville in 2005, has been further recognized for her own efforts as one of 10 finalists for the Recording Academy And Grammy Museum's 2022 Music Educator Award.

The award looked at some 1,100 educators, nominated by their students, and will award $10,000 prizes for both the teacher and their school sometime in March.

"It's just a really cool thing to kind of come my way, and it's getting all this publicity," Robinson said. "It's not a terrible time to be talking about how much you love public schools, and to preach the gospel of this really great thing we get to do as we influence students' lives and get to learn alongside them."

COVID hits

As COVID-19 moved her job into first a remote and then a hybrid setting, Robinson did everything she could to keep her students engaged.

She told jokes in the chat, encouraged students to bring their pets on video calls and met with her band for informal music chats during lunch time.

Robinson organized atypical morning rehearsals and secured permission from Principal Craig McCaffrey -- himself named the state's top administrator in 2021 by the Indiana Music Education Association -- to hold the bands' few full rehearsals in a larger auditorium space to allow for social distancing.

Internet latency during video calls made it impossible for the remote half of the band to play alongside the in-person group, but Robinson encouraged her students to play at home while on mute. This actually led to a bit more practice, she said, as students who would normally have to wait as one section performed could play at home the entire time.

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Sean Vitales, now a senior in his second year as a trombonist in the advanced band, noted the 2020-21 group met as a full band for the first time in October -- three months later than usual.

"I wasn't playing with the (baritone) sax player, which I play bass trombone, so a lot of times we match up," Vitales said. "So I didn't have him to work with, but at the same time, we were all in that situation."

But the remote nature of 2020-21 allowed the band to participate in additional events, including the National Jazz Festival and Purdue Jazz Festival, that are often difficult to coordinate due to the hectic schedules of the dozens of students involved.

Essentially Ellington, which Vitales described as the "Super Bowl for high school jazz," maintained its competitive admission standards. Robinson noted that the entry pieces for the competition were composed by the legendary Duke Ellington for the top musicians of his era, so simply being able to play the music is a tremendous accomplishment for teenagers.

After unsuccessful tryouts in the four previous school years, Noblesville reached the event in 2021.

"It was a really insanely hard year for us musically, but for (Robinson), it's been a 10-year process and we were just part of it for a year or two, so making the festival was awesome," Vitales said.

A Grammy for Noblesville?

As Robinson kept her five jazz bands in festival shape while also serving as the school's symphonic band's assistant director, she also excelled during the special Grammy award's yearlong vetting and interview process.

She first filled out an application at the Recording Academy museum's behest after a student recommended her for the award.

Some 250 quarterfinalists then had to submit letters of recommendation, YouTube performances from their bands and various other materials.

"She is easily the most enthusiastic, hard-working, intelligent and inclusive teacher I have ever had," wrote then-senior Taylor Cash in a letter recommending Robinson. "She is a true lover of jazz, and if there was ever any question, the five jazz bands she runs on her own can speak for themselves."

Once she reached the top 25, Robinson had to submit a personal resume and headshot for future consideration.

Prior to this national recognition, Robinson was no stranger to local and state awards.

She was named 2014 Indiana Jazz Educator of the Year, 2015 Noblesville Schools Teacher of the Year and was a 2016 Indiana Teacher of the Year semifinalist.

Whether she takes home the top Grammy prize or not, Robinson said she was thankful for the opportunity to connect and share ideas with fellow top musical educators from across the country.

"We're all so interested in furthering music education, particularly in public schools," Robinson said. "But also how we can grow as teachers... that's been one of the coolest parts of this."

Robinson anticipates the winner will be announced in March, ahead of the 64th Annual Grammy Awards on April 3.

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Rory Appleton is the pop culture reporter at IndyStar. Contact him at 317-552-9044 and rappleton@indystar.com, or follow him on Twitter at @RoryDoesPhonics.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana high school band teacher nominated for special Grammy award