Scarlett Middle School Band Director Deb Katz is no stranger to grant applications. In fact, she considers herself a grant "junkie" because of how many grant applications she fills out. 

But luckily for her students, all of Katz' effort has been worthwhile.

Naiomi Wilson, Ms. Ann Savaglio, Justin Poliner, Deborah Katz, and Jordan Steiff practice their instruments together. Katz said she sometimes plays along with her students while she's teaching.

Photo by Julie Steiff

Katz applied for and received the first annual Dan Long Award this year, after the grant was established in honor of local music professional and founder of the Ann Arbor School for the Performing Arts Dan Long. The award helps teachers across Washtenaw County help to enrich their students' musical experience by granting $1,000 to a local schools' music department.

Long said the grant was created by his co-workers in 2002 after he retired from teaching for 35 years at Slauson Middle School. Since 2002, there have been hundreds of contributors to the fund, making it possible to award the grant for the first time this year.

Katz, who has known Long for years, said she thought her chances of receiving the grant were slim because there would be a lot of competition.

"Since Dan is so well known, I thought everyone would jump at the opportunity to apply for this grant," Katz said. "When the letter came telling me we got the award, I was really excited."

But Long, who isn't on the grant committee, said he thought Katz deserved it because her proposal would benefit each student individually and give students "experience beyond the classroom."

This experience will include bringing in professional musicians and teachers from the Ann Arbor community to Scarlett in the fall for a clinic day. Katz' idea is to have the professionals give small groups of students a two-hour personalized music session. She also wants the students to be able to drop in during the day to ask the professional musicians questions and "pick their brains."

Katz said she likes the idea of a clinic day because many of the students at Scarlett don't have the opportunity for personalized music lessons.

"We have a lot of economically disadvantaged kids in our school, so there isn't a strong tradition of private study on musical instruments," Katz said. "So I've been trying to look for ways to help my students enter high school at a level where they're musically competitive."

Ann Arbor Public Schools Fine Arts Coordinator Robin Bailey echoed Katz' sentiments and said she is thrilled that Scarlett got the award because the students will be able to see that it is possible to have a career as a musician.

"Some students don't have access to live performers and this is an opportunity for them to see and hear people who have made a career and a living being a musician," Bailey said. "I think a lot of students don't think that's an option."

And while many people would argue that middle-school students can be the hardest age to teach, the fact that Katz' students are at an age where she can really help to influence them musically is one reason why she loves teaching.

"I like that middle school age," Katz said. "I think there's a lot of growing up that kids do and I think music is an incredible opportunity to help kids do that."

Katz, who's in her 32nd year of teaching and third year as the Scarlett Band Director, didn't always plan on following her passion for music. It wasn't until three weeks before leaving for college in the hopes of becoming a limnologist that she realized a career in music would be much more rewarding for her.

Deb Katz has been the Scarlett Band Director for three years. She also teaches fifth grade band at Carpenter and Pittsfield Elementary Schools.

Photo by Julie Steiff

"It never entered my mind that I could do that work until my senior year of high school," Katz said. "I had a woman band director who I think was only one of two women directors in the state."

Despite the minority of women in the field, Katz decided to pursue a degree in music and auditioned for music school as a flutist.

"It was a very last minute decision and in my opinion very much the right decision," Katz said. "I haven't really ever regretted it."

Katz now tries to pass on the importance of following your dreams to her students, and she hopes the Dan Long Award will be another way for her to achieve this.

"I think there's a ton of life lessons in music," Katz said. "i think music is about that feeling of gaining strength, accomplishment, and experiencing beauty."

The clinic day at Scarlett MIddle School is scheduled for October 8 this year, and Katz said she has already written a grant to the Ann Arbor Educational Foundation to repeat the program in the winter.

Lizzy Alfs is a senior at the University of Michigan majoring in English. She is also a news reporter for the Michigan Daily. Email her with events and news relating to Ann Arbor’s North Side.