Meiers creates musical currency
By Amanda Duchsherer
Digital Communication Specialist
amanda.duchsherer@minotstateu.edu
Family comes first for Evan Meiers ’10.
So much so, that the Class B Stanley-for-life graduate and band teacher made a move he swore would never happen — he turned Class A.
In 2018, Meiers took a position with Minot Public Schools as a fifth and sixth grade band teacher in order to spend more time with his family, high school sweetheart, Erin (Jones), and their two daughters, Emery and Eila.
“I miss going to Stanley every day and I miss the people there, but I also love hanging with my family right now. Family is important,” he said. “And I love getting really specialized in fifth and sixth grade where I thought I was amazing, got humbled, and went all right, time to rebuild yourself. This has been a really good year for me.”
He also appreciates the diversity to his days. As a traveling teacher, Meiers splits his time between several schools in the Minot area.
“I teach band at pretty much every school on the south side of the river, and I also help out at the high school when I can,” he said. “What I like best about it is every day is different. Every school is different. There are pluses for every school, and that’s what I love about it.”
During his tenure at Stanley Community Schools, Meiers took a fledgling band program and grew it into a statewide award-winning powerhouse, which includes receiving the 2014-2015 North Dakota Governor’s Band distinction.
“It was a wild ride,” he said. “I’ll never forget, our first state music experience was driving a little green Taurus with three of us to state music. Then my last year, we took two buses and a trailer. We went from nothing to something in numbers.”
He is now seeing a similar growth rate in a recently resurrected Minot music program — the Magi Drumline. Last year, around 15 students came to practice. This year, an average of 55 students show up. The question is, why?
“You have to find what they like, know what’s their currency. Their currency used to be the intrinsic value of playing for themselves, but that currency is evolving and changing. They want to feel a part of something, to feel like a group,” he said. “If you can provide individual success in a group setting with some positive leadership and some accountability, kids will flock to it no matter what it is.”
Meiers knows the importance of positive leadership and accountability from a student’s perspective.
Following high school, he ventured to a different university before landing at Minot State. He was craving something he couldn’t put into words.
“I was missing something and didn’t know what it was until I got here,” he said. “I was missing that real connection with faculty. I got to work with Avis (Veikley ’76, Minot State percussion instructor). Now Avis is my savior, she’s the one that brought me back to Earth, that built me back up again. Erik Anderson (Minot State professor of music) taught me how to calm down and work toward something. The connection I got with the faculty was like a family. That’s what I really like best about Minot State, that and the opportunities.”
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Minot State University is a public university dedicated to excellence in education, scholarship, and community engagement achieved through
rigorous academic experiences, active learning environments, commitment to public service, and a vibrant campus life.
| Published: 12/04/20 |
