Teachers in the band
Lincoln teachers know something about music and chemistry
By Curtis Beaubrun
Reprinted from the Lincoln High School Cardinal Times
Teaching chemistry is not the only thing Lincoln IB Chemistry teachers Joel Laney and Nathan Watson have in common. The teachers both played in bands as teenagers and college students.
Both started playing in bands during their high school years, Laney as a vocalist and guitarist, and Watson as a guitarist. Laney was inspired to join by his love for music and producing.
“I’ve played music my whole life, and I’ve played in bands since high school to COVID,” said Laney. “The synergy out of a group of people, like the music that’s produced, is far greater than the individual parts.”
Meanwhile, Watson looks back on his years in his Ska band named Five Times Fast, where he was a member in high school and college.
“Those are formative times where you’re just becoming an independent adult for the first time, exploring your interests with close friends, so I look back on those times really, really fondly,” said Watson.
Being in a band helped both of them improve their life skills. For Laney, this was communication and time management.
“[Being in a band taught me] how to work with a group of people towards a collective goal,” said Laney. “[It also helped with time management] because there are X number of people that are relying on you to show up at a certain place at a certain time and to be prepared.”
For Watson, being in a band helped him develop more confidence.
“When you’re able to stand in front of a group of people and perform music that you wrote or put yourself out there… it helps you to build confidence in public speaking, in just being in crowds in general,” said Watson.
Both teachers recommended joining a band.
“Beyond just the playing and creation of music and the creativity, there’s a satisfaction and joy that comes from…becoming as good as you can at something,” said Laney.
“It really makes you think about life in a slightly different way from a perspective of a performer and artist,” said Watson.
As chemistry teachers, they are able to use their love for music to better teach the subject.
“I use music as an analogy in some of my lesson planning. I talk about how music can be a way to think about quantized energy versus continuous energy,” said Watson. “A piano plays individualized notes, versus a violin, which you can kind of play a spectrum of sounds on.”