Home Sweet Home

Honoring traditions while making the program your own: An interview with Jeff Iverson

by Elisabeth Cherland

Jeff Iverson has taught in Minnesota for over twenty years and is now in his second year of teaching at home. In our recent conversation he reflected on many aspects of his job, including how he works to balance community expectations with his own authentic teaching style.  

EC: Tell us about your professional journey. How did you get from leaving home to returning?  

JI: I grew up in the Minnewaska School District, which is in Glenwood, Minnesota, and then went to school at the University of Minnesota, Morris. I spent 14 years teaching in the Yellow Medicine East School District in Granite Falls, starting in 2005. That program needed to be built from the ground up. I directed musicals every year in the fall and coached Knowledge Bowl. In 2019 I was offered a position in the Glencoe Silver Lake district, which had a well-established program. The previous director was very competent and well liked, so taking over that position presented a different challenge. I was there for 5 years, and once again directed musicals and coached Knowledge Bowl. My high school director in Minnewaska retired in the spring of 2024, the position opened up and I applied, and that’s how I returned in the fall of 2024. It has been similar to beginning the Glencoe Silver Lake position, in that I’m taking over for a person who was there for over 30 years and was competent and well-liked. It’s different, though, because in Glencoe I didn’t know anybody and had to establish myself in a different way. In Minnewaska I know many of the families. I’m teaching the children of my former classmates and choir mates.  

My predecessor is still in the community and he’s actually on the school board now. I’ve been lucky both here and in Glencoe Silver Lake that the previous director has stepped aside and given the program space. In talking to colleagues I know that doesn’t happen in every situation and some retired directors still have their claws in the program. My previous directors have been around to answer questions like, “How does this work? Where do I find this form? How do I do this?” But they’ve also let me breathe and given just the right amount of support and presence. 

EC: What do you teach and what responsibilities do you have in this position?  

JI: Each grade level in Minnewaska has between 70 to 100+ students. I teach 5^th and 6^th grade music every day, and due to space restraints, they’re in my choir room. I use Quaver Music that doesn’t require a lot of props or instruments and we do a lot of singing. I also teach 7th grade choir, 8th grade choir, an auditioned varsity choir of mostly freshmen and sophomores, and an auditioned concert choir of mostly juniors and seniors. I also have four jazz choirs that meet in the mornings before classes begin, and I’m directing the musical. 

EC: You’ve mentioned musicals a few times. Is that part of your job that you enjoy? 

JI: Yes, I’ve always enjoyed musical theater. I enjoyed being in it and now directing is great too. You get to be more creative in theater. 

EC: Did you imagine when you were in school at Minnewaska that you would return to teach at your alma mater? Was that a dream of yours?
 

JI: I still have quite a bit of family and friends in the area, and back when I was in school I certainly imagined it. Returning to my hometown was always something on my mind. But then, as I established the program in Granite Falls, I ended up staying there for 14 years. Timing is everything, and it just happened when it did.  

EC: What has surprised you about coming home and teaching at home?  

JI: Minnewaska has a really strong sense of school spirit. It certainly did when I was a student here, and it still has that pride in the school and the community. That was a good surprise. 

Maybe it shouldn’t have surprised me, because I saw it in my other teaching positions, but students have changed in the past 20 or 30 years in how they socialize. We didn’t have social media when I was in high school and there’s a different vibe now. I saw the wave of technology coming when I was teaching in Granite Falls. Watching kids in the choir program with their devices every day, and the way technology has changed… it’s eye-opening, because the program I remember is certainly different. 

EC: How has teaching at home influenced your effectiveness as an educator? 

JI: I’m not sure it has affected my effectiveness. This is my 21^st year now, and thinking back to what I was doing at the beginning of my career, I’ve certainly gained knowledge. I always go to ACDA events, attend MMEA, and professional development opportunities. I try to get to the National ACDA Convention as often as I’m able, and I try to keep growing.  

EC: Besides the rise in technology, what has changed in Minnewaska since you were a student there? 

JI: We had a high school staff meeting before school started this year, and each staff member said how many years of experience they have. There were only four teachers in that entire meeting that had more experience than me, and I had all four of those teachers when I was a student. I feel like the old person now!  

Another change is how the facilities have aged. When I went to school there the building was almost new and it isn’t anymore. Walking around the building you notice the aging locks that don’t work, the doors that just don’t fit right, and it’s kind of sad. But we do the best we can, and facilities age.  

EC: Have there been any unexpected challenges in returning to teach at home?  

JI: Every director has their own art, their own way of programming. Bringing my style of programming has been a challenge in the upper levels, mostly because they were used to a different way. It’s also been a challenge to establish and prove myself. Minnewaska does a themed Christmas concert every year that involves all the 7th through 12^th grade choirs. The event is always packed and we do three concerts in the same weekend. Everyone in the community adores the event and it’s a nice mix of sacred and secular literature. When I started teaching here last Fall I heard mumblings of, “There’s a new director, and we’re not gonna have a Christmas concert anymore.” So, I proved to them that we would keep on with that tradition because if I didn’t, I think the community would have been very upset. Having a mix of sacred and secular literature is what I’m used to during a Christmas concert. But juggling the community and the taxpayers’ expectations is a challenge. 

EC: Do you have any advice for other teachers who find themselves teaching at their alma mater? 

JI: Make the program your own, and do not make changes too abruptly. For example, at the Christmas concert it’s a tradition to do the Hallelujah Chorus every year and end the concert with Silent Night. Those are traditions that I will continue. The changes I’ve made are very minute because it’s important not to go into a program with a sledgehammer and make all the changes at once. Each director is a different person and has a different style, so the program can’t be the same. But you need to ease into the changes. You need to honor the traditions and what made the program good while also making it your own. That’s part of what makes teaching an art. 

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About the Author

Dr. Elisabeth Cherland (she/her) is a fourth-generation choral conductor as well as professor, singer, song leader, violinist, and Lutheran church musician. As Director of Choral Activities at Minnesota State University, Mankato, she teaches courses in choral methods, conducting, private voice, and conducts the Concert Choir and Chamber Singers. She lives with her partner Kent and their two children in St. Peter. She loves storytelling and story-hearing, doughnuts, bubble tea, running (when the temperature is perfect and the course is flat), and sunshine when it’s available.