Nathan Knoll
Submitted photo
Classical MPR's Teacher Feature highlights the lives and work of music teachers throughout Minnesota.
Nathan Knoll
Vocal Music Teacher
Southwest High School
Minneapolis
What grade level(s) do you teach? What types of music classes do you teach?
I teach 9th through 12th grade choir.
Do you direct any ensembles? If so, which ones?
Yes. We have two women's choirs, two men's choirs, an upper level mixed choir and a Chamber Singers group. 400 of our students sing in choir.
Who or what inspired you to become a music teacher?
I had several inspiring music teachers through the years, but my high school choir director deserves most of the credit. Karen Jacobson at Pequot Lakes High School aggressively recruited me for years and finally got me to sign up during 9th grade. It all changed for me when we sang René Clausen's All That Hath Life and Breath. When Ms. J told us that he was teaching in Moorhead, I decided right there that I was going to go to Concordia and sing. Later in my high school career, Ms. J got sick and missed two weeks of school. Since it was a very small town, they couldn't find a music sub. The administration asked me to teach the choirs while she was out. It was an absolute blast and really cemented my desire to be a choir director.
In what ways do you try to encourage your students to appreciate and participate in music?
I try to push them to their limits to be the best players they can be, so that they might come to know the power of work ethic, commitment and artistic integrity. I constantly preach to my students that "excellence is never an accident" and "we are what we repeatedly do," so let's always strive to be the best we can be. I love music — playing, listening, talking about, etc. I model that exuberance, insatiable curiosity, passion for music and a love for learning and 'walk the walk' everyday in hopes that it rubs off on my students.
If you were to help program a day of music at Classical MPR, what would be a piece of music you'd play in the morning? What piece of music would you play in the evening?
In the morning, I would play Stephen Paulus's Pilgrim's Hymn:
In the evening, I would play Morton Lauridsen's Sure on this Shining Night:
What is it about these pieces that make them a couple of your favorites?
The Paulus might seem like an unusual choice for the morning, but to me the piece feels like a sonic imagination of a day well lived. Our culture does a great job at encouraging activity and accomplishment but doesn't always help people keep larger goals or grounding principles in mind. Starting the day with Pilgrim's Hymn helps me mentally situate my activities in the grander scheme.
In Sure on this Shining Night, James Agee's poem is so rich and deep that every time I come back to it, I find new meaning. I think Lauridsen captures a sense of the profound and a sense of wonder in it. When I'm done with the day and my mind is spinning with all the things that happened and all the things I wish would have happened, listening to this piece is grounding and helps me let go of the mundane.
I teach 9th through 12th grade choir.
Do you direct any ensembles? If so, which ones?
Yes. We have two women's choirs, two men's choirs, an upper level mixed choir and a Chamber Singers group. 400 of our students sing in choir.
Who or what inspired you to become a music teacher?
I had several inspiring music teachers through the years, but my high school choir director deserves most of the credit. Karen Jacobson at Pequot Lakes High School aggressively recruited me for years and finally got me to sign up during 9th grade. It all changed for me when we sang René Clausen's All That Hath Life and Breath. When Ms. J told us that he was teaching in Moorhead, I decided right there that I was going to go to Concordia and sing. Later in my high school career, Ms. J got sick and missed two weeks of school. Since it was a very small town, they couldn't find a music sub. The administration asked me to teach the choirs while she was out. It was an absolute blast and really cemented my desire to be a choir director.
In what ways do you try to encourage your students to appreciate and participate in music?
I try to push them to their limits to be the best players they can be, so that they might come to know the power of work ethic, commitment and artistic integrity. I constantly preach to my students that "excellence is never an accident" and "we are what we repeatedly do," so let's always strive to be the best we can be. I love music — playing, listening, talking about, etc. I model that exuberance, insatiable curiosity, passion for music and a love for learning and 'walk the walk' everyday in hopes that it rubs off on my students.
If you were to help program a day of music at Classical MPR, what would be a piece of music you'd play in the morning? What piece of music would you play in the evening?
In the morning, I would play Stephen Paulus's Pilgrim's Hymn:
In the evening, I would play Morton Lauridsen's Sure on this Shining Night:
What is it about these pieces that make them a couple of your favorites?
The Paulus might seem like an unusual choice for the morning, but to me the piece feels like a sonic imagination of a day well lived. Our culture does a great job at encouraging activity and accomplishment but doesn't always help people keep larger goals or grounding principles in mind. Starting the day with Pilgrim's Hymn helps me mentally situate my activities in the grander scheme.
In Sure on this Shining Night, James Agee's poem is so rich and deep that every time I come back to it, I find new meaning. I think Lauridsen captures a sense of the profound and a sense of wonder in it. When I'm done with the day and my mind is spinning with all the things that happened and all the things I wish would have happened, listening to this piece is grounding and helps me let go of the mundane.
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