NEW PORT RICHEY — William Rutherford’s ties to Gulf High School run deep. He graduated from the school, as did his three children. And after graduating from the University of South Florida, he returned to become band director, a position he has held for 30 years.
This year, for the second time, he was named Gulf High School Teacher of the Year, and he was nominated as one of three finalists for Pasco County Teacher of the Year. He didn’t win that award, but he said that while he was honored to be nominated, it was the selection for the Gulf High award, decided on by his peers and colleagues that he sees every day, means the most to him.
Rutherford is also delighted that honors went to a teacher of music, as the arts are often overlooked in favor of STEM and other academic subjects.
He told the Suncoast News he first became aware of the band when he followed around his older sister, who was in the color guard. “I was like wow, this is really neat. I really want to be a part of this.” So after having been inspired by his elementary school music teacher, John Key, he joined the high school band. The director, Ed Francis, “was very influential on a lot of us. He encouraged me to do music as a career.” The program at Gulf High comprises a concert band, a marching band, a jazz band and the color guard. Rutherford also teaches keyboards and does the school’s video productions.
“We try to include all of our students and try to give them the best experience they can have,” he said. “Most come from the middle school band already playing an instrument, but some are new at it. They get hooked on it. I have one senior that came to me at freshman band camp. I asked, ‘What do you play?’ and he said he didn’t play anything, but thought he would like to play the trumpet. Now he’s one of my top trumpet players.
“It’s fun to see them blossom,” he said. “If you’re a math teacher, you have them for one year. I get them for four years. I watch them grow up.”
“We take what we do very seriously,” he said. “(Art) is a very important part of human development that makes you so well rounded in the world and (helps you) understand everything around you. The arts are extremely important to our kids. It gives them a place and something to be a part of. Some of the kids sometimes spend more time here than they do at home. We spend so much time together on bus rides and competitions and performances, so they develop a family. All of my students feel welcome here. Some, if they didn’t have that, they wouldn’t have anything; they might not even be in school. So we try to provide that.”
Rutherford said he is lucky that the school administration is very supportive, as are the parents.
“With the amount of money that is dwindling for special programs like the arts, we have to get creative,” he said. “It costs $8,000 to get one marching sousaphone. The district’s fine arts coordinator does a great job at helping us find funding, and we have a very supportive band booster club; we really have hardworking parents here. Having parental support is so key.”
That makes it possible for the band to include students who can’t afford instruments, uniforms or other costs to participate. “We don’t turn anybody away,” Rutherford said. “I tell the parents I don’t want money to be an issue, I want your student to be here; I want them to enjoy the experience.” Thus, every student is afforded the opportunity to learn a skill that, Rutherford says, is not only meaningful in itself but can be a help to future success in other fields: “Employers like to hire musicians, because they think differently. They can think outside the box.”
And they can also become part of a worldwide community that encourages anyone who can play to play, no matter their looks, background, age or income. In most music circles, if you can play, you’re welcome. It’s an experience that Rutherford himself, as a musician and not a teacher, is experiencing as a recently joined member of the Richey Suncoast Orchestra, along with his son Andrew, a percussionist. In fact, music is pretty much a family affair: Rutherford’s daughters, Elizabeth and Brittany, were in the Gulf High band, and his wife, Kelly, who teaches at Cotee River Elementary School, has been the color guard sponsor for 30 years. Elizabeth helps with the current band’s woodwind section, and Andrew does the same with the percussion section.
Gulf High School Buccaneer Marching Band and Color Guard performances are available on YouTube.