Friedel Welcomes Music Instructor

by, Annette van de Kamp-Wright

(recently published article in the Omaha Jewish Press)

Rodney Schmitt give Friedel fifth-grader Eliana Schuller lessons on the trumpet.At the end of last school year, Friedel Jewish Academy students and staff said goodbye to their beloved music teacher, Tuffy Epstein, who volunteered at the school from 1996 until 2009.

“Thirteen years is an amazing time to dedicate your talents, for any volunteer,” Principal Ron Giller said, “and we were very fortunate to have his help for so long. He will surely be missed, but all good things eventually come to an end.”

Seeing Epstein go wasn’t easy, and he’s left some big shoes to fill. However, Giller managed to find a replacement in Rodney Schmitt, a 23-year veteran of the Bellevue school system.

“I have taught music for a total of 35 years,” Schmitt said, “and I’m eager to work with the students at Friedel. My hope is to get these kids involved, establish a band and give the children something they can truly be proud of. Hopefully, they will develop an appreciation of music for the rest of their lives.”

Schmitt grew up on a farm in southeast Nebraska, graduated from Cook High School in 1957, and went on to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Music Education. After teaching in Sterling and Fall City, he ended up at Bellevue, where he stayed for 23 years. He has served as President of the Nebraska School Band Directors Association, was awarded the Donald Lentz Outstanding Band Director Award, and served as President of the Nebraska chapter of the National Association of Jazz Educators. In 2001, he was elected into the Nebraska Music Educators Hall of Fame.

Currently, Schmitt performs as a trombonist in the Street Railway Company Jazz Band. At Friedel, he will be teaching fourth through sixth grade students. “I am very excited about the small classroom size, and about the facility as a whole,” he added. “I am confident that parents will show the same enthusiasm as the kids, and will be supportive when they practice their instrument at home.”

“Music is an important part of education,” Giller said, “and we are so glad that we found Rodney Schmitt. With him on board, we will be able to continue to offer this to our kids.”