The hills of Middlefield will most certainly be alive with the sound of music this fall.Cardinal Schools Board of Education officially hired Tim Florjancic and…
The hills of Middlefield will most certainly be alive with the sound of music this fall.
Cardinal Schools Board of Education officially hired Tim Florjancic and Joel Kithcart as band and choir directors, respectively, at the June 9 board meeting.
Florjancic will be teaching high school and middle school marching band and concert band. Kithcart will be teaching fifth through 12th grade choir, as well as supervising the show choir group, “The Cardinares,” and directing the musical.
Florjancic, 26, grew up in Valley View in Cuyahoga County, where he attended Cuyahoga Heights High School. After graduating in 2006, he went on to major in music education and minor in atmospheric science at Hiram College.
Immediately after graduation, Florjancic started student teaching at Berkshire High School in fall 2010.
“It was a bit intimidating at first,” Florjancic said, adding he got more comfortable as he went and it was all “good fun” with the kids.
“The more I did it, the more I realized how much I love it,” he said.
This past school year, Florjancic taught music and choir at Burton Elementary.
“It was a bit different, a slower pace, you have to be more patient, but it was a lot of fun,” Florjancic said. “The kids were so willing to learn, and with any challenge, they would rise to the occasion.”
Kithcart, 27, originally from Mansfield, grew up in Ashland, Ohio, and attended Mapleton High School. He went on to attend Malone University to major in music education.
Right out of college, Kithcart started teaching music at Mansfield Christian School. Throughout his four years working there, he also obtained his master’s degree in music education through Kent State University.
“I think it was a good learning experience. I learned a lot, it was a great place to start,” Kithcart said. “I really enjoyed working with the kids, it was a great community, great faculty to work with. Overall, it was a very valuable experience for me.”
Both Florjancic and Kithcart were inspired to teach music from their own music experiences growing up.
Florjancic was impacted by his high school band director, Jon Sokol, at Cuyahoga Heights High School.
“He made band and marching band the most enjoyable experience of my high school career,” Florjancic wrote in an email. “He made learning music easy, and his passion for his job was very evident. It was through his guidance and teaching that led me to want to become a band director myself. I would not be where I am today if it were not for him.”
Kithcart got his inspiration from his music teachers growing up as well as his high school band director.
“Ever since then, I was like, I really want to go into music,” Kithcart said. “I love working with people, I love making music and working with kids. It’s always been fun. I love to be able to see them really enjoy and love music.”
Choosing Cardinal
Kithcart discovered the Cardinal job posting on the Ohio Music Education Association website.
“Well, I got up here and fell in love with this place. It’s a really nice area,” Kithcart said. “It reminded me of home. I come from a small town with Amish and other things in the community.”
Kithcart hopes to be able to stick around, as he is looking for a place for his wife and himself to settle down with their 3-month old daughter.
Florjancic heard about the Cardinal position while still teaching at rival and neighbor Berkshire Schools.
“I had heard some rumblings about an opening, so I thought I would give it a shot,” Florjancic said. “I’ve always wanted to be a high school band director, so it was the perfect opportunity. I’ve got the job I’ve always wanted.”
He said he is still adjusting to the Cardinal verses Berkshire aspect and has been very busy with the transition.
“It was a chance to further my career it’s a surreal moment. I’m finally a high school band director. It’s such a good feeling.”
Teaching Philosophies
“The best thing about teaching in general is just inspiring the next generation to love music and to grow up to be really respectful citizens,” Kithcart said.
He believes teaching is more than just teaching the subject, but is also preparing students to become good, respectful members of society by learning moral and social skills.
“You’re not just teaching them your subject — which you are — but you’re using that outlet as a way to teach them about how to be able to engage in life, and I think that, as a teacher, that is something we have to take into consideration,” Kithcart said.?”We have such a great influence over the lives of our students and they look to us for example. Whether they say it or not, they really do look to us to be positive role models in their lives.”
Florjancic and Kithcart alike want their students to enjoy their music experiences in their programs.
“The best thing about teaching music is that I get to share my passion of playing in band with my students,” Florjancic wrote in an email. “Seeing a student’s eyes light up when they are understanding their instrument and making music makes it so worth it for me. I like inspiring students to realize their full potential on their instrument.”
Kithcart said he wants to come in and inspire students to learn music and even if they don’t love it, he hopes they can respect it.
“Even if they don’t continue with it, I want them to have an appreciation for music because music is in their lives every day, it’s all around us, so why not understand it and appreciate it for what it really is.”
Plans for the Future
Both these quirky men think they will get along very well and are very excited for their positions. As they say, there is a lot of potential in both programs.
“I know the program here. They are trying to rebuild the choir program, so that’s something I really want to do,” Kithcart said.
Along with the many choir classes and the Cardinares, Kithcart will be taking on self-directing the musical, which will be a first for him.
He does have experience working with musicals and took a theater course in college, so he said he has the knowledge of how to do a whole play, it’s just putting it into action that can be a hurdle.
“That’s going to probably be a great challenge,” Kithcart said. “I love musicals and I love Broadway though, so its not something I don’t want to do. It’s something I really want to do.”
Florjancic plans to keep the same structure for band and really try to build up numbers.
He has some solo ensembles and band shows in place, and will be having the marching band camp at Edinboro University later this month.
He has spent the majority of the time so far cleaning up, re-organizing his work space and printing music, though he was able to meet some of the marching band members already.
Florjancic thinks he is in a nice situation with a really nice facility, and is ready for marching band season.
“We’re looking to put on a good show,” he added.
