Quick Take
After three decades at Soquel High School, retiring band director Jim Stewart leaves behind a program defined as much by community and belonging as by musical achievement. Through a mix of humor, discipline and care, Stewart shaped generations of students — many of whom went on to careers in music and education.
The walls and floors of Soquel High School band teacher Jim Stewart’s office are filled with 30 years of notes, pictures and memorabilia from his past students, so much so that a fire marshal told him he had to take some down.
With his retirement coming up this spring, he’s started sifting through photos of students he’s built long-lasting relationships with, the numerous trophies and awards and heartfelt letters from past students, some of whom became professional musicians.
He’s also been thinking about what he learned from his students, and what he hopes they took away from their time in his classroom.
“Perseverance, taking risks, not taking yourself too seriously, enjoying the moment in high school – and really just loving each other,” he said. “I think they know that I love them – that’s another thing I really hope they take with them.”
Some of the mementos: a boogie board, a didgeridoo, a Wiffle ball bat, trophies, dozens of photos of band classes and a student’s pair of dirty, muddied socks from 15 years ago. Stewart, 62, will leave some of these treasures for future students and the next director, but he’s also started taking some of the stuff home.
The dirty, 15-year-old socks aren’t just any old pair of socks. In 2011, a student forgot his shoes and did a marching band performance in just his socks on the school’s field anyway, in the rain. He gave the socks to Stewart and they’ve been pinned above the door since.
“I don’t think I knew that he was in his socks till afterwards,” said a smiling Stewart, adding that the socks will probably be among the things he takes off the wall. Despite that, he acknowledged, “There’s a lot of history here.”
That a student would march in the rain in just his socks, and that his band teacher would hang them on the wall until forced by retirement to remove them, encapsulates what Stewart and his three decades of students have experienced: a community. It’s what Stewart said he strived to create and what he’ll also miss the most in retirement.
“Band gives kids a place to be in high school,” he said. “I’ve seen kids come into high school that never would have made it. Those kids that just would not have found a place to be in high school or would have been alone, and they’re not – they’re known.”
He said building that opportunity for kids, and being part of the larger Soquel High community, has been the best part of his tenure. Stewart’s link to the school community goes back to his own high school years as a Soquel Knight. He met his wife, Michelle — who’s currently Happy Valley Elementary’s superintendent — while in the Soquel High band in 1981. She played the bells and carried the letter “O” for Soquel as part of the color guard. They have two daughters, who are raising their families in Scotts Valley, close to where Jim and Michelle raised them.
Stewart said he never thought he’d end up returning to teach band at his high school, but after coaching jobs got him into his first school and teaching, he realized he loved working with kids. He worked at Scotts Valley’s Baymonte Christian School before starting at Soquel High in 1996.
Over the years, his students have played a wide range of events, including the school’s football and basketball games, the Twin Lakes Church Christmas concert, the Capitola Halloween parade, Santa Cruz Warriors games and UC Santa Cruz basketball games. They’ve won numerous awards, including two first-place recognitions just this month at the Hollywood Heritage Festival in Los Angeles, where thousands of students competed.
Throughout his career, Stewart worked many long days and weekends, with a goofy and sometimes tough-love approach. On Thursday morning in the school’s multipurpose room, as they practiced for their annual spring dinner fundraiser, the students shifted regularly from laughter to razor focus as they tapped their feet to stay in rhythm.
Wearing flip-flops, a black T-shirt, jeans and a baseball cap, Stewart conducted as they practiced songs like “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Wind and Water.” He’d also tap his feet and dance lightly, sometimes eyes closed, before coaching the students: “Not too hard on the end on the percussion” or “Just keep the tempo.”
Several of his students have gone on to become talented musicians and educators: professional trumpet player Nick Bianchini, who previously taught at Santa Cruz’s Branciforte Middle School; Cesar Nuñez, who played with local band Jive Machine; touring professional trumpet player Cade Gotthardt; and Harbor High School music and band teacher Dillon Baiocchi.
Baiocchi, 34, recalled that he was so nervous on his first day of band as a student that he asked to be transferred to woodshop. A school staffer told him that Stewart had to sign off on the transfer, but when Baiocchi asked, Stewart refused.
Baiocchi said that Stewart’s tough approach immediately changed something in him, and from that point he felt more comfortable and accepted. And it showed in the long run: Baiocchi went on to study music and is now in his fifth year as Harbor High’s music and band teacher.
“I don’t know if I would have done that if he had not refused to sign that little slip just that first day of high school,” Baiocchi said. “So much of what I do is what I remember from that class.”
He said he’s still learning from Stewart and calls him regularly with questions: “I’ll call him, and he always answers, right away — ‘Happy to help.’ ”
Stewart’s daughters, Tyler and Shannon, share a similar admiration for their dad. They say that, without pressure from Stewart, they requested district transfers from Scotts Valley after middle school so they could be in band with him at Soquel High.
“I hugely admire my dad, and so many of my core principles come from him,” Tyler said. “Obviously his work ethic is incredible, but he also has instilled in me how important it is to be reliable, dependable and consistent.”
Shannon, now a history teacher at Scotts Valley High, said Stewart is more than a teacher – he’s a comedian, a mentor and someone who has given his students purpose: “My dad’s dedication to his students and his daily impact made me want to do something with my life that truly impacts people.”
Soquel High senior Lyla Speights said Stewart is always telling jokes, and it’s very clear that he loves his job. With his 30 years leading the program, she said his humor is part of everything the band does.
“He is the band program,” she said. “All of our funny quirks, all the things, they’re 100% because of him.”
She said band members have endless chants that seem to make no sense, like one where they repeat, “Reese’s Puffs.”
Speights has had Stewart as her band teacher since middle school – he also taught at New Brighton Middle School for 15 years. She said he taught her how to play the flute and she’ll likely play it for the rest of her life. But he also taught her the importance of hard work and of contributing to a team.
“We can have as much fun as we want,” she said. “But it’s going to be a lot more fun if we do better.”
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