Teachers of multiple different subjects have a variety of interests beyond the classroom, a popular one being music. One of these teachers is science teacher Mark Frankenburg, whose renditions of popular tunes can be heard in the hallway just outside his classroom.
“It’s fun. It’s just something kind of relaxing to do at the beginning of the day,” Frankenburg said. “Plus, it kind of forces me to practice.”
Frankenburg’s guitar playing has quickly become a celebrated morning tradition.
“I always look forward to seeing him on my way to class,” junior Biruk Sisay said. Sisay enjoys attempting to recognize the songs Frankenburg is playing. He is always satisfied when he succeeds in doing so.
Frankenburg’s guitar has been a powerful tool for forming positive connections with students, teachers, and other members of the school community.
“I have a few students that play guitar. Sometimes we kind of compare notes on songs and how to play. […] I play a lot of Beatles songs. I was playing some Tom Petty songs today,” Frankenburg said. “Probably my favorite one is ‘Time of Your Life’ by Green Day, because that’s a good fingerpicking song. […] I don’t have [a guitar] at home right now, but I actually just ordered one this week.”
The joy of playing music doesn’t require expensive instruments and fancy techniques. Frankenburg believes that anyone can start playing their favorite songs, as long as they’re equipped with knowledge of a few basic chords.
“I think the most important thing about playing guitar is you don’t actually have to understand musical theory or how to read music,” Frankenburg said. “I don’t know how to do any of that. I pretty much just learned how to play four or five chords, and now I can play a lot of songs. It’s hard, it takes a lot of practice, but it’s really fun and rewarding.”
Spanish teacher Robert Helwig is another teacher with a musical background, but his may be a little more unexpected. Before he was a teacher, Helwig was a punk vocalist, which is usually quite a shock to students and teachers alike. At the beginning of the school year, to break the ice, Helwig often asks his students, “What type of band do you think [I] was in?” None of them “ever, ever, ever” guess correctly.
Helwig’s punk career began at quite a young age. During his junior year of high school, he was a founding member of a band called “Rose Parade,” a name inspired by a song from the late musician Elliott Smith.
“We were playing shows all around Richmond and at all the colleges,” Helwig said. “I definitely was a prima donna. I thought I was a little rock star. […] I played guitar when we wrote songs, but when we played shows, I was the lead singer,” said Helwig. (Admittedly, he was more of a “screamer.”)
After Rose Parade broke up, Helwig joined an existing punk rock band, which became known as “E and B.”
“I would make up a name with those initials every show we played,” Helwig said. One night they were “Ert and Bernie,” and the next they were “Excedrin, Nyquil, Benadryl.”
“That band was more just for fun. It was good music; we played a lot of shows.”
Frankenburg and Helwig and their experiences are proof that there is great pleasure to be had in hobbies. While teaching may be their main career, music still an plays an important role in their lives and personal identities.
