August Teacher Spotlight: Shawn Hudson

A native of Cincinnati, Shawn attended Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, OH for both his Bachelor and Masters degrees. He currently teaches orchestra grades 5-12 at Bowling Green City Schools, where he has been teaching since 1997.  Previously, he was the orchestra director at Perrysburg (Ohio) Schools from 1991-1996. He was also a member of the 555th Air National Guard Band of the Great Lakes, “The Triple Nickel” where he served as bass player in the jazz band and euphonium in the concert band. He was familiar with Baroque Violin Shop from his time in Cincinnati and is happy to have BVS support the students of Bowling Green Schools.

Can you tell us about your school’s orchestra program?

Orchestra begins in the 5th grade in semi homogenous groupings. When students graduate from the beginner program and enter the middle school in 6th grade we form orchestras that meet daily. There are two sections of 6th grade orchestra, a section for 7th and 8th. At the High School level, there are two orchestras. I share all duties with an awesome colleague and fantastic string teacher Janet Fu who joined the BG Schools orchestra program last year. The program currently serves approximately 230 students in the Bowling Green city schools.

What instruments do you play/teach?

My major is cello but I also play bass and euphonium

How did your career in music get started?

Originally from the Cincinnati area, I started taking lessons from Sharon Ficke on cello from Finneytown, Ohio. She turned me on the playing at a higher level. I joined the Cincinnati Youth Orchestra and then went to music camps during High School. I loved playing the cello so much I wanted to share this with others and become an orchestra director.  

What’s your favorite song to perform?

As a cellist is there anything greater than the Bach cello suites?  What a work of Genius.  I also dig Julie-O by Mark Summer.

What are some of your other hobbies?

I am a Ham Radio Operator: my callsign is KB8QEW. I also love to tinker with technology and computers, especially the real time strategy game StarCraft II.

What has been your favorite moment as a teacher?

Conducting the BGHS Symphony Orchestra with collaboration with the other music departments to bring massive amounts of students together on stage. As a Star Wars fan, Duel of the Fates with the Symphony Orchestra and Choir was a blast.

It's also all the small moments when you see a child really “get it” and the pure joy they show when they do something they love.

What do you find to be the best motivator for students?

Teaching with love, and compassion. Allowing students to find their voice with their instrument. When they reach a point where they love what they're doing, it’s easy to get them to want to practice.

What are your future goals as a musician and teacher?

My goals are to facilitate the younger teachers and make sure all the pieces and resources are in place so exceptional orchestra teaching can continue at Bowling Green Schools.

How are you managing the challenges dealt to your school and orchestra related to COVID-19? What opportunities do you see?

Many students crave the group experience. It will be challenging to do this with COVID-19 restrictions in place however, I see opportunities to reach students on a more personal level. Smaller sized ensembles will allow for more attention to each student.