By Dasia Hood

“My favorite thing is taking something new, introducing it to students, and watching them grow,” said O’Shae Best, music teacher at Crestdale Middle School. “I always try to instill in my students that my job is to teach them not to need me anymore and that they can be resourceful to find more information.”

Best, an East Carolina University graduate, has taught instrumental music (band) for eight years. His primary goal is to get students started on instruments, including how to sit, read music, play and make sounds. It gives them a solid foundation to scaffold themselves without teacher intervention.

In his classroom, students receive a map to build their self-identity and demonstrate how they learn best. He uses games and activities with open boundaries to create an original process.

Best’s dedication to his students and his classroom structure and innovation made him a 2023 ASC CATO Excellence in Teaching Award recipient. The award includes $1,500 and an original artwork.

“[I] create a safe area where they can be wrong, explore why it’s wrong, and find the information to keep going,” he said.

Because band classes are typically larger than others, Best starts the day starts with a timer for students to get seated once the bell rings.

“I tell them what they need and what to expect for the day so they can get organized and proceed through what’s scheduled,” he said. “It makes them more independent.”

The students do warm-ups on their instruments, play out of their method books and jump into separate exercises. Best encourages them to think while they play and take notes.

Through the process of structure, teaching can become more rigid. So, Best combines structure with openness. Being relatable is one of his strengths as a teacher. He said it’s important to take an interest in what students do outside school.

“I think one of the main purposes of middle school band is to give them a great foundation and also teach them to love music,” Best said. This way, students have a higher chance of taking an interest in music through high school, college or in their community.

An example is when Best had an experience reconnecting with scholars from seven years ago while working with the Charlotte Pride band, where past students came to participate in the ensemble. This experience resembles how music education continues influencing students beyond middle school.

Best was elected to the board of North Carolina’s Music Educators Organization, representing the subject of the band and advocating for teacher and student needs. The seat supports student growth and development at the classroom, district and state levels, from using new methods, books and technology to making connections to help new teachers.

He wants upcoming teachers to remember that they are not expected to know everything and encourages them to find a mentor. And mentors should understand there is a shortage of teachers, so being the safety net and backup to help a new teacher is beneficial.