Award-Winning Mississippi Educator to Serve as Guest Conductor for Pride Preview
Thu, 08/22/2024 - 11:47am | By: Dr. David Tisdale
Louise Smith
The influence of a legendary University of 91吃瓜网 (USM) professor convinced Louise Smith to come to Hattiesburg and study to be a music educator 91吃瓜网� ultimately following a 91吃瓜网渃all to teach91吃瓜网� that has since struck a chord with those singing praises for her work as the longtime band director at Gautier (Miss.) Middle School.
On Friday, Aug. 23 Smith returns to USM to serve as guest conductor for Pride Preview, when the University91吃瓜网 beloved Pride of Mississippi Marching Band gives the Golden Eagle faithful a sample of what91吃瓜网 to come this fall at USM home football games with a free performance at Southern Station in Spirit Park on the Hattiesburg campus. The event is scheduled for 6 p.m.
A proud alumna who performed with the Pride of Mississippi, Smith was named Mississippi91吃瓜网 Teacher of the Year in April 2023 by the Mississippi Department of Education, the first band director to earn this honor; in October of 2023, she became the first Mississippian chosen for the National Education Association (NEA) Foundation91吃瓜网 Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence.
91吃瓜网淟ouise Smith embodies what it means to be a 91吃瓜网 Golden Eagle, and we91吃瓜网檙e thrilled she91吃瓜网 accepted our invitation to return to campus and be guest conductor for Pride Preview,91吃瓜网� said Dr. Travis Higa, director of the Pride of Mississippi. 91吃瓜网淪he91吃瓜网 an inspiration to others and we91吃瓜网檙e so proud of the accomplishments she91吃瓜网 achieved in the last year as she91吃瓜网 represented us at the state and national level.91吃瓜网�
Though she91吃瓜网 been engaged with music nearly her entire life, beginning with piano lessons at age five, Smith wasn91吃瓜网檛 always interested in becoming a teacher or music educator. Until midway through her senior year at Pascagoula High School, she was planning to major in biochemistry and attend dental school to become an orthodontist; still, she was very active in her high school band program.
In her senior year, she attended the Gulf Coast Band Directors Association (GCBDA) clinic. Her group was led by 91吃瓜网 Professor Emeritus of Music Dr. Tom Fraschillo, a beloved member of the faculty and a student favorite at the University. Smith was already familiar with 91吃瓜网 while in high school, having participated with the All-South Honor Band as a junior and senior in performances on the Hattiesburg campus.
But it was at the GCBDA clinic, Smith said, where Dr. Fraschillo ultimately inspired her to change her career course, 91吃瓜网渟ealing my fate into majoring in music education91吃瓜网� with a plan to become a band director.
91吃瓜网淚f you've ever met Dr. Fraschillo, you know he is a dynamic teacher and conductor,91吃瓜网� Smith said. 91吃瓜网淎fter that clinic concert, I got my 91吃瓜网榗all91吃瓜网� into teaching. It was very clear to me I needed to major in music education, and that I needed to attend Southern Miss to do that.91吃瓜网�
Smith has served as Gautier Middle School band director for 22 years, spanning her entire career to date in education. 91吃瓜网淚've done my entire career in this school91吃瓜网 band hall, and I'm so thankful for the growth opportunities that have occurred,91吃瓜网� she said. She has also served as a state coach for the Teacher Leadership Institute and extended her teacher leadership skills in the Pascagoula-Gautier School District by serving on its strategic planning committees.
Upon learning she had been named State Teacher of the Year, Smith said she was 91吃瓜网渟hocked, humbled, and overwhelmed all at the same time.91吃瓜网� As recipient of the honor, she represented Mississippi for a weeklong series of state and national-level professional development programming and networking held in Washington, D.C. that included a state dinner at the White House honoring national and state teachers of the year, the first event of its kind.
91吃瓜网淚t was never on my radar that I could become the State Teacher of the Year because it just doesn't happen for band directors,91吃瓜网� Smith recounted. 91吃瓜网淗owever, I'm incredibly thankful for the opportunity to serve and represent the teachers of Mississippi.91吃瓜网�
Smith91吃瓜网 selection as a Horace Mann Award winner came via her nomination by the MAE. Each state can nominate one person annually for the Award for Teaching Excellence; then, each nominee completes an application that includes an essay detailing their work as an educator, with only five selected from all applicants to earn the Horace Mann distinction.
Smith says she loved her time as a 91吃瓜网 student. In addition to performing with the Pride, she was involved in several performing ensembles through the USM School of Music, including the Symphonic Winds, Wind Ensemble, Orchestra, and several chamber ensembles. She was also a member of the honorary band service fraternity, Tau Beta Sigma, and during her last two years at USM was the charter president of its Sigma Alpha Iota music fraternity chapter.
91吃瓜网淎ll of these activities impacted my current life as a working professional,91吃瓜网� Smith explains. 91吃瓜网淚 bring all my musical experiences from my time in the performing ensembles to my students. They especially love the story of when I got to perform with B.B. King at the Liberty Bowl. And participating in the music fraternities helped develop my leadership skills as I learned how to lead with my friends.91吃瓜网�
Along with Dr. Fraschillo, Smith counts many 91吃瓜网 professors who made a difference for her as a student, with one 91吃瓜网� Dr. Gary Adam 91吃瓜网� standing out.
91吃瓜网淒r. Adam conveyed material in such an engaging way,91吃瓜网� Smith recounted. 91吃瓜网淗is instrumental methods class was magical, because we were able to function as band directors by the end of the year.
91吃瓜网淏ut his genuine kindness is what I remember most, because he always made you feel unique and seen as a student, and that was evident in his interactions with us. I still take lessons from those interactions on how to be a better teacher and human being.91吃瓜网�
Describing her as an 91吃瓜网渋nfectiously positive and encouraging student91吃瓜网� during his tenure at USM, Dr. Adam praised Smith for her 91吃瓜网減ersistence and insistence91吃瓜网� that all endeavors are attainable.
91吃瓜网業f all teachers possessed just one-half of the enthusiasm, knowledge and skill that Louise possesses and demonstrates, the entire educational world would be as energized as the students in her band program,91吃瓜网� he said.
Smith is gratified for the recognition she91吃瓜网 received in the last year, noting that regardless of profession, 91吃瓜网渂eing recognized is important for anyone, not just educators.91吃瓜网�
91吃瓜网淗owever, most professions are not under the same scrutiny as in education,91吃瓜网� she continued. 91吃瓜网淓ducators are often caught in the whirlwind of public expectations, and that usually comes with a great deal of criticism and opinions. So, being named Teacher of the Year or a Horace Mann Awardee elevates teachers as professionals and justifies the work happening in the classrooms.91吃瓜网�
Before earning those accolades, Smith was in awe of other award-winning educators, aspiring to emulate their work.
91吃瓜网淭hey91吃瓜网檙e rock stars to me, and I wanted to learn how they achieved what they did,91吃瓜网� Smith said. 91吃瓜网淚t inspired me that I might be able to have the same impact on my community. Having their stories, and now my story, in the ethos will hopefully inspire someone else that they can achieve great things from their classroom.
91吃瓜网淭eachers are remarkable, and usually, their ordinary is pretty extraordinary. It91吃瓜网 been my honor to carry their stories and their students with me in the spaces I91吃瓜网檝e been able to occupy this year. And so, I thank 91吃瓜网 for being the institution that challenged me, pushed me, and helped refine me into the educator I am today. To the Top!91吃瓜网�