Teacher tunes
Song selections from the Mill’s teachers
History teacher Susan King listens to a movie soundtrack on her computer while working. King, like other teachers, has a music taste students might not expect.
One thing that is a constant talking point between students at Starr’s Mill High School, as well as people all around the world, is music tastes. Talking about favorite songs and artists has brought together countless people, and many of us know the sort of music each of our friends and even our favorite celebrities are listening to.
However, one thing that many do not think about is what are our teachers’ favorite songs are and why they like them. After asking some teachers around Starr’s Mill what some of their favorite songs are, students may find the results surprising.
Susan King
History teacher Susan King has an interesting music selection. Rather than the stereotypical music that most of us love listening to, King has an ear for movie soundtracks. She loves to listen to these to match her different moods. “If I’m in a good mood I play a Danny Elfman soundtrack if I’m really intense I’ll put on a Hanz Zimmer soundtrack,” King said. There’s also the “Hamilton” musical soundtrack at her number one spot.
While many discredit movie scores as not the best music to listen to on a regular basis, movie score composers are incredibly talented artists and some of the most beloved movies are due to some of best soundtracks. “They’re more emotional music,” King said, “I really feel like I can picture what is going on in my mind or make up a movie scene in my mind.”
Mark Decourcy
The economics teacher here at Starr’s Mill, Mark Decourcy, loves many different kinds of music. However, as of right now, the Americana genre is the one he’s really into. Americana music is one of the more underappreciated genres of music and some of Decourcy’s favorite tunes are by talented artists not many of us know about. Decourcy mentioned his top four: Traveling Wilburys, The Dead South, Concrete Blonde, and The Silent Comedy.
“There’s no real reason behind it, it’s just what was kind of striking my fancy,” Decourcy said.
While his preferred style of music may be different than what most listen to, many of these talented bands are worth a listen. With a combination of acoustic guitar with gritty yet powerful vocals, the Americana genre is one of the more underappreciated.
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Robin Huggins
Science teacher Robin Huggins had a tough time narrowing down her top three artists. Though, after some thinking, she managed to narrow it down to three different genres, artists and songs.
In no real order, Huggins explains her love for country music, contemporary Christian, and rock music.
“I love country music,” Huggins said. “Probably my favorite is Garth Brooks.” Her favorite Garth Brooks song is “In Low Places.”
In the contemporary Christian genre, her favorite artist is Matt Maher with her favorite song being “Good Good Father.” Finally, Huggins’ last pick in the ‘70s and ‘80s classic rock genre is the band Bon Jovi and the song “Living on a Prayer.”
Dan Gant
Science teacher Dan Gant enjoys a wide variety of music by artists enjoyed by many. Ranging from music from the ‘60s to the music of today, Gant’s music has always been a major part of his life.
I was a member of The Beach Boys fan club when I was little, so The Beach Boys are at the top of my list.
— science teacher Dan Gant
“I was a member of The Beach Boys fan club when I was little, so The Beach Boys are at the top of my list,” Gant said. “And ‘California Girls’ is my favorite song.”
His other favorite styles of music and artists include Carol King while in his college years and now Gant is a big fan of Justin Timberlake. While these artists vary in their different styles, his favorite kind of music is pop dance. “Anything you can dance to I’m good with,” Gant said.
Laura Alldredge
Spanish teacher Laura Alldredge favorite songs are some that many are familiar with. With genres ranging from rock and roll to modern Christian music, Senora Alldredge’s top three list is a solid one.
“I love a lot of different kinds of genres,” Alldredge said. “NEEDTOBREATHE, I guess that’s rock and roll, and Crowder and Hillsong is a little more contemporary.” With many well-known artists, Spanish teacher Laura Alldredge has a good taste for music.
While music tastes are something that many of us like to learn about each other, learning about some of our teachers’ favorite artists and genres is something not a lot of us have thought about. Although many of our teachers’ favorite music may surprise us, some of us may have something in common with their music choices which may be even more surprising.
