School of Rock: DIS teachers share the bands that make the grade

Ms. Loutsch, secondary English teacher. (Christine Park )

Ms. Loutsch

What is your favorite band?

“Back in the day, I was team *NSYNC -it’s very important you know- not, Backstreet Boys. I went through a One Direction phase as well. Right now I like BTS. It just depends on the phases of life, I’m not super obsessed with one particular band.”

Why are they your favorite band?

“I think boy bands in general, it’s just easy to fangirl and easy to fall in love with the people, not just the music. I think with YouTube and stuff it’s just made it easier to obsess.”

Can you recommend one song?

“NSYNC - Just Got Paid.”

Mrs. Jolly, academic counselor. (Christine Park )

Mrs. Jolly

What is your favorite band?

“Maroon 5.”

Why are they your favorite band?

“I find it easy to listen to sometimes, I know a lot of the words to the songs and I can sing along if I want to. They’re not bad to look at, and they’re pretty talented musicians.”

“I’ve been to three of their concerts. The first one was when we lived in Busan, and Mr. Jolly surprised me with tickets to the concert. It rained that day, and I was super impressed with them live because sometimes you hear a band on the radio and hear them live and they sound terrible. The third time we saw them was in Daegu, and it was the first real concert my kids had been to.”

Can you recommend one song from this band?

“Wake Up Call.”

Mr. Coleman, high school math teacher. (Christine Park )

Mr. Coleman

What is your favorite band?

“Dispatch.”

Why are they your favorite band?

“I have always appreciated the story of three guys meeting in college, coming together and, even though they come from varying political views, they’ve always found common ground. Like ending hunger in the US for charity and other causes that are really admirable.”

“This is the band I saw twice in a row at Madison Square Garden, back to back in July 2015 or 2016. Me and my best friend opened up for this band once. It was a charity event called ‘Calling All Crows’, which is for women’s rights in the Middle East. Before the concert my friend and I were outside the venue busking, playing their music. They did a fundraiser for that concert where the team that raised the most money got to open up for them. We raised around $1500. It was pretty awesome.”

Can you recommend one song from this band?

“Josaphine.”

Ms. Wang, secondary math teacher. (Christine Park )

Ms. Wang

What is your favorite band?

“YB.”

Why are they your favorite band?

“Honestly I don’t know that many bands, but they were really famous in my generation when I was a high school student. All the boys would sing the songs from YB when we went to noraebang (karaoke). Yoon Do-hyun, the lead singer, is really good at singing.”

“I went to an all-girls high school. When I went to college, there were a lot of boys. Some boys were trying to show off their skills (even though they weren’t good). When they tried to pretend to be cool, they always sang songs from YB. Fortunately, I didn’t have a crush on any of them but I think they were trying to capture many girls’ eyes.”

Can you recommend one song from this band?

“너를 보내고 (After Sending You) or 나는 나비 (A Flying Butterfly).”

Mr. Gall, secondary math and computer science teacher. (Christine Park )

Mr. Gall

What is your favorite band?

“Biffy Clyro.”

Why are they your favorite band?

“I’ve been a fan of the band for over twenty years. The first time I saw them play live was when I went to see another band, and they were supporting. They completely dominated the stage as a warm-up act. It turned out they were a local band. The crowd was absolutely into it, they were just so amazing. I went home, listened to them, and eight or nine albums later, I still follow them to this day. They went from playing in front of a hundred people to now playing in front of thousands.”

Can you recommend one song from this band?

“Bubbles.”

Mr. Cameron, secondary science teacher. (Christine Park )

Mr. Cameron

What is your favorite band?

“The Head and the Heart.”

Why are they your favorite band?

“I’ve been listening to them for about twelve, thirteen years now. There are just so many songs of theirs that I like. I can put on any song of theirs and I enjoy it. I discovered them because they’re from Seattle (Mr. Cameron’s hometown), and there was a local radio station that I listened to who played them when they were first starting out, and I really enjoyed it. I kept listening to them as they grew their catalog.

Can you recommend one song from this band?

“Let’s Be Still.”

NOTE: This is one of Nadia's favorite songs as well!

Mr. Hinkle, high school English teacher. (Christine Park )

Mr. Hinkle

What is your favorite band?

“Slipknot.”

Why are they your favorite band?

“I like metal and I find them to be melodic metal. They’re just overall a very entertaining, great rock band. It’s heavy. I like heavy.”

How did you discover them?

“I’ve probably been listening to them for over a decade. I have no clue how I discovered them. My guess is Spotify autoplay.”

Can you recommend one song from this band?

“I’d like to, but there might be some no-no words in there.”

Mr. Jolly, headmaster. (Christine Park )

Mr. Jolly

What is your favorite band?

“The Tragically Hip.”

Why are they your favorite band?

“It’s one of the first concerts I ever went to. They’re a very well-known Canadian rock-n-roll band. The lead singer recently passed away, but they’re a very Canadian cultural band. If you’re Canadian and you grew up in my era, you know their songs. It’s just kind of nostalgic. I’ve probably been listening to them for 30 years.”

Can you recommend one song from this band?

“Courage.”

Mr. Bergan, secondary history teacher. (Christine Park )

Mr. Bergan

What is your favorite band?

“Red Hot Chili Peppers.”

Why are they your favorite band?

“My friend got me into them, and it was some music I used to listen to before basketball games in high school. It just got me really relaxed before games. I’ve been listening to them since the early 2000s.”

Can you recommend one song from this band?

“Otherside.”

Mr. Vis, elementary school principal. (Christine Park )

Mr. Vis

What is your favorite band?

“Grateful Dead.”

Why are they your favorite band?

“I’ve listened to them since high school (the mid-90s), but really more heavily since university. I like that The Grateful Dead is really eclectic in the music that they play. From rock-n-roll to bluegrass, to jazz, it’s all over the place. They have such a wide range of things to listen to.”

Can you recommend a song from this band?

“Brokedown Palace or Bird Song.”

FUN FACT: This is a great band to learn bass guitar to.

Mr. Kaschub, secondary social studies teacher. (Christine Park )

Mr. Kaschub

What is your favorite band?

“Foo Fighters.”

Why are they your favorite band?

“I like their music. I don’t listen to them that much anymore, but I’ve probably been listening to them since late high school to early college, so about 18 years.”

Can you recommend one song from this band?

“Learn to Fly.”

Ms. Medina, elementary and middle school Spanish teacher. (Christine Park )

Ms. Medina

What is your favorite band?

“Disturbed.”

Why are they your favorite band?

“I really like the singer’s voice, it’s perfect for rock-n-roll or heavy metal. I really like his tone. Also, their music is usually talking about social problems, so I like their lyrics.”

Can you recommend one song from this band?

“Deceiver.”

Mrs. Gum, elementary art teacher. (Christine Park )

Mrs. Gum

What is your favorite band?

“Bon Jovi.”

Why are they your favorite band?

“I used to listen to them a lot when I was younger, so they remind me of those times.”

Can you recommend one song from this band?

“Livin’ On A Prayer.”

Mr. Gum, secondary art teacher. (Christine Park )

Mr. Gum

What is your favorite band?

“I like a lot of things, but if I had to narrow it down, growing up I really liked the band Cake.”

Why are they your favorite band?

“I appreciate the lyrics. It’s a really interesting band. The structure of their songs has various components. Each instrument is playing its own part. If you were to listen to them independently, each part by themselves doesn't make a lot of sense. It sounds like noise. But somehow, when they’re together, it sounds really cohesive and unique.”

Can you recommend one song from this band?

“This is one of those bands that are like, you don’t know them by name but you’ve heard their songs in pop culture. This isn’t necessarily my favorite song, but probably something that you would know is Short Skirt / Long Jacket.”

Mr. Hutchings, secondary music teacher. (Christine Park )

Mr. Hutchings

What is your favorite band?

“Incubus.”

Why are they your favorite band?

“I just like their style of music. They were introduced to me by a group of friends when I was in high school, and they became the soundtrack to all of our outings. Every time we’d get in the car and go somewhere to do something, Incubus was playing. It became our lives’ soundtrack.”

Can you recommend one song from this band?

“MMMMMMMMMMMMMM………….” (Mr. Hutchings requested to add the fact that he took a hard time to consider.)

“It’s really hard to choose my favorite song, but how about Circles?”

Mr. Bartolay, third grade teacher. (Christine Park )

Mr. Bartolay

What is your favorite band?

“I actually have a few favorite bands. I like The Beatles, I like Bob Marley and the Wailers. I’m also a Christian, so I’m a big follower of some Christian bands. Mainly Elevation Worship. I think those are the main ones.”

Why are they your favorite band?

“They connect to me. They connect to my interests. Music speaks to the soul, and their music speaks to my soul, in a way that no other bands can do. It speaks to me. Their music, their style, their lyrics.”

Can you recommend one song from one of these bands?

“Redemption Song by Bob Marley and the Wailers is a good one.”

Mrs. Lopez, secondary Spanish teacher. (Christine Park )

Mrs. Lopez

What is your favorite band?

“A known band would be the Bee Gees, I love them. I also like Coldplay a lot. In Latin America in the 80s to late 90s, there was a movement of rock in Spanish. And in Venezuela, there is a band called Caramelos de Cianuro, which is translated to “cyanide candies”. They’re excellent. And then, my best favorite is my son’s band, New Wave Kill. They play post-punk.

Why are they your favorite band?

“I like their music, I like their style. They’ve put in a lot of effort. There is art in these bands, I think.”

Can you recommend one song from one of these bands?

“From my son’s band, I would like to recommend their latest song, Between Shadows. And from Bee Gees, I Started A Joke.”

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