Today we’d like to introduce you to Samuel Parrott.
Hi Samuel, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Becoming a choir director, musician, and lifelong student was not my original pathway. I spent the majority of my life planning for a career as a pastry chef with many dreams of cooking and baking all over the world. As the end of high school approached, I needed to find something different and my choir and band director urged me to pursue a career in music, even though I had no idea that one had to attend a music school to be a director. I was thrown immediately into the world of music at Texas State University and fell in love with teaching. I was first hired as an Elementary Music Specialist at Brooke Elementary in Austin (which sadly no longer exists) and spent three years building that program while attending Texas State full time for my Masters in Choral Conducting.
When I left the elementary school world, I was hired as the Artistic Director for The Austin Children’s Choir as I conducted the Texas State choirs as well. I really thought I was only going to stay for a year or two while I transitioned into another public school position, and I’ve been with them for eight years serving in an artistic capacity, as well as working with grant writing and strategic planning. I spent the last six years simultaneously teaching with The Austin Children’s Choir and at AJ Briesemeister Middle School in Seguin, TX, where I served as the choir director and assisted with the musical theatre program as well. Since I really like picking up new hobbies and skills, I also took on the role of Assistant Cheerleading Coach for two years and Head Coach for two years. While there, I was also named the campus and district teacher of the year in 2017. As if I didn’t have enough going on, I decided I wanted to push myself and attempt a Doctoral degree in School Improvement and a Principal Certification from Texas State University. I spent five years bouncing between football games, choir concerts, and philosophy classes while finishing my degree at night and during the summers. I graduated with my PhD in December 2021 while also managing my new job as the Head Choir Director for Seguin High School. The best way to describe me is as a teacher, musician, and lifelong student.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The whole road could best be characterized as I-35, consistently under construction but always looking like it is keeping itself together. One of the biggest struggles has been trying to prove that I know what I’m doing in a field in which I didn’t have many accolades growing up. I was always a moderately decent musician in band and joined choir my Junior year of high school, but never made it close to any kind of All-State choir or even for a small solo in my school. Trying to get into college was a big challenge because I had no idea how to audition or even that I had to sing in front of others. When I went to college, it felt like everyone had a rich background in music and I was always playing catch up. When I got into the teaching field, I took nearly 30 interviews in two months and was constantly told no until one principal gave me a chance. My struggle for my advanced degrees was more internal. I recognize that the ability to go back to school is a huge blessing, but I felt severe imposters syndrome because I was “just a music teacher.” When I went in for my Doctoral interview, I was surrounded by principals, superintendents, and people who had tried to get in year after year and I was just me. My internal struggles have held me back greatly during my process, but like I-35, I’ll be a complete project one day, but the construction is part of the process.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My work has always been in building programs and helping schools and students. I am innately an educator. I love working with kids and adults, teaching them and helping them discover their passions and potential in everything they want to accomplish. In my first two schools, I walked in with programs that were struggling and did everything I could to build them. For the elementary school, I was their seventh teacher in five years and with the middle school, the program was around thirty students to begin with. I looked at these as opportunities to show what I could do and what was really shown was the resiliency and heart of the kids with whom I worked. I always tell people that I don’t do anything special when it comes to teaching. What I think sets me apart is that I give my kids every bit of effort I have each day and treat them all as individuals, but also teach them to respect my needs as a person as well. I am most proud of the kids with whom I work. I love sharing their successes and stories of their development because that’s what fuels my passion for teaching.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memories were from my time at Greene Family Camp, where I spent a few summers. I mainly enjoyed living away from home for a few weeks at a time, but it was also a really special place that just allowed me to have fun with very few responsibilities.
Contact Info:
- Email: sam@austinchildrenschoir.org
- Website: www.austinchildrenschoir.org
