From a young age, Maxwell Shackman has loved music and singing. He also knew he wanted to work with children.
“I really enjoy spending time with kids,” Shackman says. After working at children’s camps for years, he decided to combine his love of music with his love of working with kids by pursuing music education.
“Putting together my two big interests was probably my main reason for why I went into [teaching] in the first place,” Shackman says.
After graduating from high school in Plainview, Long Island, Shackman enrolled in the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in music education and a minor in education. After graduating from college, he became a chorus teacher at Harrison High School before coming to Nanuet.
Mr. Shackman finds teaching chorus to be both challenging and highly rewarding.
“So many things need to be done at the same time to have an effective classroom both procedure-wise and musically,” he says.
And it’s true. Between conducting four voice parts simultaneously, answering related and off-topic questions, stopping side conversations and teaching sight-reading, there’s barely a second to spare. Not to mention the fact that a large portion of the class splits their time between chorus and band or orchestra, so most music needs to be learned twice and rehearsed countless times before students get the hang of it.
However, Mr. Shackman finds that Nanuet is full of student helpers who are always ready to lend a hand.
“It really helps when you have student leaders,” he says. “I’ve had a really great experience with all the students.”
He also thanks the faculty of the Nanuet Music Department for helping to create a welcoming and efficient environment for learning, saying his co-teacher Mrs. Dobelle “has been awesome to work with.”
When the final bell rings and students scurry onto buses, you’d think Mr. Shackman would be all music-ed out for the day. You’d be wrong. His love of all things music extends beyond the brick walls of the John P. Burke building.
Outside of school, Mr. Shackman enjoys listening to a cappella pop and musical theatre tunes as well as performing R&B music. But don’t worry, he likes singing the music of his profession, too.
“I love performing typical choral rep,” he says, citing Elaine Hagenberg and Jake Runestad as some of his favorite choral composers.
As a new chorus teacher, Mr. Shackman is excited to help build the high school chorus in individual musicality, which he describes as “making musical choices without me saying so.” He wants students to become so accustomed to choral arrangements that they can pick up on, say, appropriate places for crescendos and make apt phrasing choices.
Another goal he has is to increase the baritones–lower voices, including tenors and basses–in the chorus. “I think it would really help support our upper voices more,” Shackman says.
The first few months of leading the high school mixed chorus has been full-filled and action-packed for Mr. Shackman, and we can’t wait to see him grow in his pivotal role in the Nanuet Music Department. To see the results of his efforts, check out the mixed chorus (along with band and orchestra) at the winter concert on December 9th.