The Road with Dr. Rhodes

After 12 years leading the Music Education program at Utah Tech University, Dr. Rhonda Rhodes is retiring. Rhonda is no stranger to Southern Utah audiences with a long career leading musicians as one of the state’s finest teachers. She was instrumental in developing our Music Education degree at Utah Tech and has mentored another generation of teachers. We are grateful to have benefited from her expertise, kindness, and perspective.

Music Department Chair, Dr. Roger Hale, shared these remarks during the recent band concert that honored Dr. Rhodes. “Rhonda’s career reflects decades of dedicated service. She has mentored many music education students that are now teaching in the public schools, extending her reach even further.

“Rhonda has also made a lasting impact across the state as an adjudicator, clinician, and as President of the Utah Music Educators Association. Recently, she was named Outstanding Music Educator of the Year by UMEA—an honor that reflects the deep respect she has earned from her peers.

“But more than her accomplishments, what sets Rhonda apart is who she is. She is the most humble and selfless team player I have ever worked with—never seeking recognition, never complaining, and always willing to step in and help. She supports everyone around her with quiet strength and genuine kindness, and that example has shaped our department in lasting ways.”

A few days after the concert Dr. Rhodes sat down with Associate Dean Dr. Glenn Webb to reflect on her career. What follows is an interview with Dr. Rhonda Rhodes with Dr. Glenn Webb, edited for length and clarity.

Webb: Congratulations on being at this point. I’m kind of jealous.

Rhodes: Thank you. I’m ready for a different focus.

Webb: So how many years in total in education?

Rhodes: Sometimes when I count, it’s 39 and sometimes it’s 38. I will say 38. I started at Hurricane High School in August of 1987 and was there for seven years. And then I took the position at Snow Canyon High School when it opened.

Webb: You opened it? Opened the program, the school, and established traditions there?

Rhodes: Yes, I opened it in ‘94. But I still live in Hurricane, bought a house there, and I love it there. I wrote the fight song, and the hymn, the alma mater for Snow Canyon HS.

Webb: Did you do the lyrics as well?

Rhodes: No, the lyrics, I opened it up to the choir. And so I put a word out to the choir members. If anybody will come up with lyrics, I’ll set it to music and we’ll use it in the 1st graduation. And a student came forward with a nice piece of poetry that was based on the theme at the time, which was “Together by Chance, United by Choice.”

Webb: That’s part of your legacy. And then I think you went to one of the feeder schools.

Rhodes: Yeah, Lava Ridge Intermediate School, that feeds into Snow Canyon High School.

Webb: And over here, part time. Was it 2014 or 2012 when you became full-time here?

Rhodes: It was 2014 when I started here full-time.

Webb: Bachelors from Utah State. In Music Ed?

Rhodes: In music, Bachelor of Arts. Bachelor of Arts in Music.

Webb: And then later you went to NAU?

Rhodes: I went to Northern Arizona University for a master’s degree. I worked with Patricia Hoy, who was a director of bands at NAU. And I’d always known her name. I mean, not many university level women band actors at the time. And, it felt like a vacation just because it was different.

Webb: Was it in conducting or music ed?

Rhodes: It was in conducting, Master of Music in Conducting. I was at a point where I needed something totally different here for a minute and it’s like a vacation, even though it was pretty intense.

Webb: That is cool. And then Boston. Boston University. You got an online degree before it was cool to get an online degree.

Rhodes: Yes, it was like probably the first online doctorate degree in music education. Well, the place that had the first undergraduate music education degree, Boston University. Maybe they’ll they know what they’re doing, pioneering in this. It was not my motivation in getting the doctorate degree. It was just I wanted to get to the end of the academic road, if you will. And so that was a pathway to do it. They would only let you take one course at a time for seven weeks.

Webb: You’ve been involved in the leadership of the Utah Music Educators Association.

Rhodes: I’ve been involved somewhere or another since my first year of teaching. My principal said, “You should be our region music chair.” Because he was the principal over the music festival. So that got me in contact with them right off. And I’ve always attended the conference. And for a while I was Jazz VP. I was a business manager two different times and then president at one point. Two years as president-elect, two years president, and two years past president. Okay, so it was a six year overall. The two middle were the most intense. I remember when I 1st became president of UMEA, I don’t even know if you remember this. But there was a kind of a crisis going on with the association of some high level teachers in the state accusing each other of improper activity at a state festival, having to do with changing ratings and things. It was getting really messy. And so we were having to conduct an investigation. All the investigation had finished and it wasn’t in the favor of somebody’s liking. So there were some emergency board meetings and things and the national president of an AFME was coming to our conference right at that same time. And anyway, you gave me some great advice and some help, right when that was happening. I appreciated that.

Webb: I can remember the situation but I have no recollection of anything I would have said would have been helpful.

Rhodes: Yeah, I was kind of panicking there for a minute.

Webb: Are you still involved in business management?

Rhodes: I’m still the business manager for the association, and in charge of the exhibit hall.

Webb: You said that the other night at the concert, your first experience at Dixie College was in 1977. It was the Western…

Rhodes: It was called the Western States Music Festival, and I think it only happened one summer. But I remember the t-shirt for it. It had all the Western states all outlined in this big star in the southwest corner of Utah. Western States Music Festival. And it was held on the stage of the original Graff Fine Arts Center.

Webb: You seemed so calm and poised on stage the other night. I imagine maybe that you could have had thoughts racing or the heart pounding there. But it looked like a gentle landing to a wonderful career.

Rhodes: Well, I appreciate the opportunity, and Bryant (Dr. Bryant Smith, Director of Bands) gave me enough runway that I knew what piece I wanted to do. And it felt comfortable. I only rehearsed with the students once. But Jasmine Wright (Music Education Major student) had prepared the band on that piece. In the weeks before, whenever that came up in the rehearsal schedule, Jasmine was the one who conducted this band. So it was ready to go and she’s taken conducting lessons from Dr. Bryant Smith in the conducting certificate. And so they worked on it there that made it easy-peasy. And I knew the piece. It’s got a spot in my heart.

Webb: So what do you think could be a sign of success in music education for our music education students?

Rhodes: For a student, if you can see yourself in the position, see yourself in front of ensembles, and in front of the classroom, and you are already anticipating what you might encounter, and how you might solve those problems. So if you find yourself in that mindset a lot, I think you’re on the right track. You’ll doubt yourself along the way, of course, but you need to find yourself thinking as a problem solver already. And so that’s what I’ve tried to do in the music ed courses. How do we think along these lines? And in the writing that the students send back to me in assignments, it’s pretty amazing. It’s very rewarding to see them thinking ahead. I like to see them doing things as problem-solvers already.

Webb: Do you have a few memories from over your career that stand out?

Rhodes: Oh, it’s hard to put into words, but just… The moments, sometimes the rehearsals before the performances are the coolest ones. It’s like everybody’s really tuned in and then sometimes I forget how the concert went.

Rhodes: But once we were on the stage for the state band festival, this is with Hurricane High School, and we had a piece with a cute little oboe solo in it, and the student was very ready. Everything was going well. And then she got on stage and nothing was working. And she just pointed at her oboe and said, “it’s not working.” So I went to the clarinetist to have that solo queued in her music. So you need to play this right now. Right before the piece started. And it worked out. It turns out that the oboist had a swab in the instrument. Between the rehearsal and getting on stage, she had put a swab up in the instrument just for a quick reset, you know.. And then she sat down, she forgot it was there. And so it was stopping up everything. But it was funny, but she was there at the concert last on Saturday. A whole bunch of my first Hurricane band students were there on Saturday night. So that was cool.

Webb: So what’s next for you?

Rhodes: Traveling with my mom. We are going to go back to some church history sites. Neither one of us have been to Nauvoo or Kirtland or Palmyra or any of those places. So then we have a lot of family ties in Nauvoo. And I want to go to a lot of ball games. So I’m gonna drag my mom to a couple of those too while we’re in the heart of the country. I’m trying to decide, can we fit in a Cubs game? Can we go to St. Louis? Where can we go close by Cleveland? We’re trying to get on a train ride, too, somewhere, take part of the trip by train. I don’t know if it’s gonna work out, but… But while my mom’s healthy enough to travel around. We’re gonna do that, and I’ll try to maybe grow a garden finally. I always wanted to, but I’ve never been home enough to take care of one.

Webb: Good for you.

Rhodes: Because I don’t know how much playing I’ll do.

Webb: You’ll maybe do the symphony still?

Rhodes: I… I don’t know, I’m… My embouchure stability is really unpredictable. And double reed instruments are tough. I’m doing pretty good right now on English horn for this last concert this year for the Southwest Symphony. And since it’s English Horn only, I don’t have to move around on instruments and it’s a little easier for me to handle.

Webb: Is there anything else you want to share or add?

Rhodes: Just that I, like I said, before, I never thought I would teach it a higher ed. I still have a very public school mindset and thought process. That still hasn’t gone away. It’s been a cool opportunity to be here and work with some of the next generation music educators. That’s felt very fulfilling. And there’s been some great Music Ed students come through here. And there’s 6 of them going to be student teachers next year. And they’ll all be very successful. I really don’t think there’s a weak link in any of them. They’re passionate about it. I hope they’ll get gigs in Utah because there’s just a lot of applicants for every Utah gig that opens up. But if they’re willing to spread their wings a little and go out outside of the state, they’ll have a huge impact.

Webb: Okay, thank you. I’ll let you go meet your mom now and plan your baseball tour.

Rhodes: Yes. She may find an alternate activity on those days. I don’t know.

By Dr. Glenn Webb, Associate Dean of the College of the Arts