Passing the baton: Music teacher Brayer Teague readies for retirement at Downers Grove North HS
Teague's journey at Downers Grove North began in 1993, when he jumped on the opportunity to apply for a job in a district with such a strong reputation for the arts and music education. His love of music, education and travel, however, developed much earlier.
Teague began his music experience as a percussionist in the first grade and later was a drummer for a garage rock band named Mambo Sun during his high school days. He was part of high school honors ensembles and the 1985 Missouri All-State Band before pursuing a degree in music education at Northwestern University.
Bowers remembers Teague and his family sitting in the audience of her senior year college recital as she pursued her bachelor's degree in clarinet performance. The moment has stuck with her, she said. It taught her the importance of maintaining relationships and the impact that can have on people's lives.
Latman said he still feels he can reach out to Teague for advice in part because Teague developed individualized relationships with each of his students, always making them feel seen and heard. Teague's teaching philosophy of"art for art's sake" and a childhood trip with his father are what led him to expanding the program in the ways he did, providing students with authentic tour opportunities both nationally and internationally. As a young boy, Teague recalls the inspirational experience of traveling with his father and his father's students to England, where the students studied British primary education methods.
That legacy is evidenced by the response to a tribute performance some of Teague's colleagues have been planning as a send-off for his retirement. Jessen Smith, the band director at Downers Grove North, and a few others at the school have commissioned a piece to commemorate Teague's impact on the community and that piece will be performed by a band made up of Teague's friends, family and former students.
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