BY RYAN KELLY, Freshman
BLYTHEWOOD- Chris Corde stands in front of his 6th period Orchestra class, demonstrating the viola part in their most recent piece. He ends the piece, smiling, and invites me to his office.
Corde is the orchestra teacher at Blythewood high school. Many of his students and colleagues would describe him as goofy, but he is much more than that.
A graduate of Bowling Green State University in Ohio, Corde has earned a bachelor's degree in Music Education and is National Board certified.
Corde, a father of two young kids, lets his family life affect his career, in a good way. His children have both performed on the cello in children’s recitals. His wife, who also works in the district as a band director, has helped him become greater every year.
Both were recently awarded the title of President Elect of the SCMEA (South Carolina Music Educator’s Association), which is a six year term and both are very excited to further their careers.
Corde, however, doesn’t see this award as a sign to keep teaching the same way. He describes teaching as “Constantly trying to find new ways to reinvent the wheel and everything I’m doing this year is a culmination of everything I’ve been doing for the past 22 years, and next year is still going to be different.”
“I plan on progressing and getting much, much better at teaching,” he adds.
He is always looking for ways to improve himself so he can be the best teacher possible.
Freshman Caroline Reynolds says, “He’s silly and he jokes a lot but he’s a great teacher and I’ve already learned a ton from him this year.”
Corde always knew he wanted to do something in music. He was on track to become a band director in Ohio when he received the opportunity to become a student teacher in Spartanburg.
There, he fell in love with teaching and decided to switch gears and teach orchestra.
Family and Career
His family was always supportive.
“I don't think we ever really talked too much about ‘What you were going to do when you grow up.' It was always apparent that music would be a part of it, that I was going to do music, and my parents never suggested anything else.”
Corde’s interests don’t stop at teaching, however. He enjoys playing the violin in the South Carolina Philharmonic and his own quartet.
Corde’s Legacy
Corde wants a legacy. And he wants his children and his students to be a part of it.
He says he has two families, his orchestra family and his blood family.
“We’re a family here, as orchestra people. It's a familial type organization.”
His classes are about learning, but he also wants them to be fun. He would like his students to learn and grow as musicians.
Corde creates a mutual love of music in his classes by making them fun and interesting. So his students can learn and grow as musicians.
“He uses a lot of analogies, which makes pretty much everything he explains more understandable, if not really corny,” laughs freshman Savannah Rogers.
Corde says his children, who stay in his office after school most days and catch the end of his Chamber Orchestra class, can “Look back and remember their time in my classroom fondly.”
He wants his children to grow to respect and love music, just like he wants his students to do.
He aims to get better at teaching every year. And he wants his legacy to be about “good concerts, good times in class, and education.”
Chris Corde will continue to learn and grow as a teacher, a father, and as a president.
