Reprinted from Henderson News
Written by Kerri Pankratz
Former Heartland Band Instructor and music educator Royce Schweitzer was inducted into the Nebraska Music Education Association’s Hall of Fame on Thursday, November 21 in Lincoln. photo courtesy Lynn Hall
LINCOLN – The Nebraska Music Education Association held its 87th Annual Conference/In-Service Clinic November 20-22 in Lincoln. Music educators from all across the state of Nebraska along with their students attended the annual conference which featured a variety of clinicians, performances and student ensembles from elementary to middle school and high school. The conference spanned much of downtown Lincoln from the Westbrook Music Building on the University of Nebraska – Lincoln’s main campus to Embassy Suites to the Cornhusker Hotel.
Heartland high school students Zach Miller and Braden Janzen both participated in the All-State Choir at the conference, while 8th grader Jagger Regier was selected to join the Middle School All-State Choir. High honors for all three boys. But it was their former band instructor, Royce Schweitzer, who took home one of the conference’s biggest honors… induction into the 2024 Music Educators Hall of Fame.
On Thursday, November 21, 2024, at the Lincoln Marriot Cornhusker Hotel, Heartland Choral Director Lynn Hall informed the assembled crowd of music educators, administrators and Royce’s family and friends that after three decades of sharing an office with Royce Schweitzer, he was unsure on how to adequately introduce someone who had spent the past 51 years teaching multiple generations of Heartland students. So as one does, according to Hall, they turn to AI.
“Hey ChatGPT? What to say about a person who’s been a band director for 51 consecutive years?” Hall asked, “Here’s what I got back. Nothing.”
Because as Hall deduced, “In the vast collective memory of the internet there is no record of a person who has directed band for that amount of time.” I’m not sure on the accuracy of Hall’s facts, considering the ‘vastness’ of the actual internet, but we’ll go with it.
Hall continued on to give an example of how Schweitzer was so successful in keeping student participation high during his tenure.
“The conversations would go something like this… Football player says, ‘Hey Mr. Schweitzer, I don’t think I’m going out for band next semester.’ Royce’s response, ‘Yes! Man that was a great tackle you had last night! You played so well! I was really proud of you guys!’ Result? Student stays in band.”
Mr. Schweitzer was nothing if not smooth when it came to steering a student down the right path.
Upon taking the stage to accept his most recent accolade Schweitzer stated he was both honored and humbled to stand before the collective crowd that evening. He thanked his family members in attendance by saying that over the years he realized many times he was “physically present but sometimes not mentally present because my mind was at school. Thank you for working with me and sticking with me.”
To Hall, he stated “what a joy to work with you for 27 years all while sharing an office.” Also in attendance was Mr. Ken Molzer, Shickley’s band instructor at the time Schweitzer joined the band in the seventh grade. Molzer became a life-long mentor to Schweitzer who said, “I still can’t say ‘Hello Ken.’ It’s gotta be ‘Hello Mr. Molzer.’ I can relate to this statement as I have a difficult time calling Royce anything but Mr. Schweitzer.
To Molzer, he stated, “You’re one of the reasons or the reason I’m standing here tonight. Thank you for that.”
Schweitzer also reminded the crowd, “Our job is made easier by administrators. And I’ve had a wonderful opportunity during my 51 years to work with some incredible administrators. Thank you for that.”
He then moved on to reminisce on his career, a career that was almost over before it started. “Two weeks into college, I hated it. I called home and said ‘Dad can I come home and work with you?’ His response was, ‘No, I’ve already paid for this year.’ We never discussed that again. But by the time I was at the end of my Freshman year, I could have been a student my whole life. I loved it.”
Schweitzer continued on, saying, “But at that very first concert, during my first three years at Bruning High School, my mother and father were sitting in the front row, as they were for all those years that they were with us. Afterwards they came forward and my father put out his hand and said, ‘Son I really enjoyed the concert tonight.’ Then he asked, ‘Son do you remember that conversation after being at school for two weeks when you asked to come home and work with me and I said no?’” Schweitzer recalled the conversation and some of those feelings came back to him that he hadn’t felt for years. “‘I would have liked nothing more than to work with you,’ my father said, ‘but I knew God had something else in mind for your life.’ I know I would not have been strong enough to do that,” said Schweitzer, “If one of my children had asked to come home and work with me I would have folded like a tent. But I am so grateful for his wisdom.”
Finally Schweitzer shared a story in appreciation of the special calling heard by all the educators in the room. “Three of us directors, during a music contest competition, were standing together visiting and talking. Having a good time and just waiting for results. From a distance I saw a lady glaring at us and thought, ‘What did one of us do? We must have done something wrong.’ We continued to talk when I noticed the lady come closer to us and she finally walked right up to us and said, ‘What are you guys doing?’ We responded by saying we were just visiting with each other. Her response was, ‘You guys shouldn’t be talking to each other; you’re competing against each other.’ And she turned and walked away. But you know what, looking at this group, none of us would ever say we wouldn’t support each other and work with each other. That’s our life calling. And it’s a special calling. We are all friends and all there every day teaching music to our students. What an incredible gift we share with them.”
The recognition given to Schweitzer by his fellow educators proves that he, himself, has been an “incredible gift” to the Heartland community and the larger Nebraska educator community.
The contingent of Schweitzer supporters who attended Royce’s Hall of Fame induction included family, former co-workers, mentors and friends- photo courtesy Lynn Hall
Royce Schweitzer and family members who attended his Hall of Fame induction in Lincoln – photo courtesy Lynn Hall
