A great teacher not only helps students to learn and understand what they don’t know, but also inspires students to excel at the subjects they are interested in. As Mr. Deitz’s time here at Walt Whitman High School comes to a close, now is a great opportunity to celebrate a wonderful teacher. I sat down with Mr. Deitz to talk about his 34 years of working in education.

Mr. Deitz has influenced many young musicians throughout his years of teaching. His inspiration comes from his deep connection to music as well as the music instructor that taught his band when he was younger. His own music instructor inspired him to teach later in life, much like how today Mr. Deitz motivates students here at Whitman. He has been playing piano since he was 5 years old, which sparked his passion for music throughout his life.

The most fulfilling part of Mr. Deitz’s job is conducting the amazing ensembles and concerts that he has taught throughout the years. A special memory from his career would be during a Wind Ensemble concert six years ago. During the concert, Mr. Deitz’s Wind Ensemble performed “Divine Comedy” composed by Robert W. Smith. The art classes created beautiful pictures illustrating the story of the music as the Wind Ensemble played.

Mr. Deitz describes his students as his family. It doesn’t matter to him how “good” or skilled you are at an instrument, or even if you plan to study music past high school. What matters is that you’re growing and improving as a musician, and enjoying it over the course of the school year. Being a student in Mr. Deitz’s Concert Band this year, I’ve found that learning music and being part of a band is about growing as an individual, then acting out that growth as one part of a whole ensemble.

I asked Mr. Deitz to share some advice for the students of Walt Whitman for our time here at High School and beyond. He said in response: “Don’t sweat over the little things. Pursue what you love doing, just stick with what makes you happy. Find what you want to do in life, and go with it.”
Thank you Mr. Deitz–for sharing your stories with your students and helping them come together as a group to create music. May this new chapter in your life be filled with as many interesting and meaningful memories similar to the ones you’ve made here at Whitman.