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Music instructor reflects on 28-year career
The Advocate
After 28 years of educating music students, Susie Jones can reflect on always being passionate about her true focus in life — music.
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Jones, a native Oregonian and an MHCC music instructor and director of the Jazz Band, got her first taste of music from her family, also music instructors, at a very young age. She was heavily involved in her schools’ band programs starting from fifth grade.
“That’s where a lot of people started music, through their school band, choir or orchestra,” said Jones.
Jones’ primary musical instrument growing up was the saxophone, learning from local jazz saxophone player Michael York; he was one of the many influences Jones had.
“We’re always influenced. You can go back and count all the influences along the way and you can usually never narrow it down to one or two; there’s always a hundred. Everything from professionals who you see in the community to recordings that you hear; influential recordings, teachers that you had along the way, family that supported you. It’s a huge network of influences,” said Jones.
After Jones graduated from Lebanon High School, she attended MHCC in the mid-1970s. Jones’ decided to go to MHCC because she said its music program at the time was the most successful music program of any community college or university in the area.
“The music department at that time was way ahead of the pack. Compared to other colleges around the area, it was way ahead of what everyone else was doing. Other schools that were doing what we were doing were some of the strongest schools in the country; like North Texas, Indiana, Berkley and those schools, but as far as the community colleges and universities in this area, we were way ahead in what was going on,” said Jones.
After MHCC, Jones furthered her education going to the University of Portland (UP) from 1979 to 1981. While attending UP, Jones was paying for her college tuition by playing gigs with several funk bands. A big part of Jones’ choosing to go to UP was the location and its convenience.
“I stayed in the local area because I was playing in a funk band at the time and I was putting myself through college playing gigs; so I was not inclined to leave town because I would have to give up my gigs and my source of income at the time, so I stayed in town for that reason” said Jones.
In her band, West Coast Funk Ensemble, she played in the Portland area at places such as the Division Street Corral, where it would be common to see dances taking place in those days. Her band didn’t release any albums, but released many demos.
“That’s one of the ways that you were able to get gigs, to have a demo,” said Jones.
Jones decided she needed to change the direction she was going with her life and decided to earn her degree in music education at UP.
“I came from a family of teachers, so it’s not surprising that I ended up teaching. I had some experience along the way and I knew I enjoyed teaching. Then at some point in your musical career, you have to make the conscious decision: ‘Do you want to be a performer or do you want to get a degree in education?’ I decided that I wanted stability in my life,” Jones said.
“That was why I got into education and then as I got into it, I became passionate about education, just as I was passionate about music. As soon as I started teaching, that became my new focus.”
Jones worked at the North Clackamas School District for nine years and for eight years at the David Douglas School District. She has worked at MHCC for 11 years.
“I guess you would say I’m a jazz specialist,” she said. “A music teacher learns the whole field but sometimes they specialize and my strongest suit was jazz,” Jones said.
She plans to continue working at MHCC for the next three years and then will decide what to do next. Her best advice for future music teachers is to actually teach.
“You learn how to teach by teaching. You have to jump into the classroom and do it and that’s where you gain your skill and knowledge about teaching,” said Jones.
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