Decorated Glenbrook South music instructor shares the credit with his students

Three of the last four years Markeise Russell has been a national quarterfinalist for the Grammy Music Educator Award.

The Glenbrook South instructor does not necessarily care if he reaches the round of 15 semifinalists, which he said should be announced later this month or in October.

What matters to Russell is his day-to-day duty.

"For me it doesn't make any difference if I win or not because the real reward is to wake up every day and work with students, every single day," said Russell, Glenbrook South's instructional supervisor for Fine Arts and co-director of band with Brian Boron. In the classroom Russell teaches freshman marching band and symphonic winds.

Born, raised and still living in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood, Russell said he never knows who nominates him or how he's been a Grammy quarterfinalist in 2018, 2020 and now for 2021. He's one of 216 teachers to reach this stage nationally out of more than 2,000 nominated.

All he knows is the potential reason why.

"I make it all about the kids," he said. "It's their experience. I lead my practice with student voice and student choice."

Trying to create "student leaders," Russell said he sends students quarterly surveys to assess his instruction, and allows students to choose their own repertoire.

About the only rule he's got, he said, is for students not to criticize him in public. They can take their complaints straight to Russell, whose door is always open.

"For me it's all about the experience and allowing them a say in their experience," he said.

This is Russell's first year at Glenbrook South, which in 2008 was named a Grammy Signature School for its commitment to music education.

He arrived in July after four years at Senn High School in Chicago's Edgewater area and the year before that at Noble Academy on the West Side.

Russell led Senn's concert band to a "Superior" rating at a Chicago Public League music festival. He got a kick out of that, because most of his students picked up their instruments freshman year.

Russell himself was a relatively late starter. Inspired by a student in Mass, he began piano lessons under Don Sadofsky at Chicago's St. Margaret Mary School in the seventh-grade.

He switched to saxophone his junior year at St. Patrick High School under band director Kevin Carroll, now orchestra director at Rolling Meadows.

"I became a music teacher because of the joy and passion of what he did," Russell said.

Russell played alto saxophone at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he earned his bachelor's degree in music education.

He's since earned one master's degree and is working on a second. In fall 2021 he'll enter the University of Illinois' doctoral program in education policy, organization and leadership.

He now also plays the organ as director of the music ministry at Our Lady Mother of the Church on Chicago's far Northwest Side.

He was in a similar position at St. Thecla Catholic Church in Chicago, whose last Masses were held Aug. 16. When it became apparent St. Thecla would be closing, Russell started interviewing at other churches. They kept asking if he played the organ.

"And I kept saying no. Then I figured I needed to play the organ," he said.

Such adaptation has been key to dealing with COVID-19.

"What I tell everybody in my department is there's no better time to be an artist. It's through difficult times that we are called to be creative, or called to be problem solvers and critical thinkers," Russell said.

"Regardless of the format that we're in, we're still an artistic community. We still have a commitment to our students, and we also have a commitment to ourselves, to nurture and nourish our artistry."

Perhaps that stance is why he's a perennial on the Grammy Music Educator Award list.

"It's not a testament of my work or anything that I've done. I have a hard time being recognized because I don't want to take credit for all of it," Russell said.

"I've had the opportunity over the last five years to work with incredible students, and I have the opportunity now to work with incredible students. It's a testament to their work, and not mine. They're the real Grammy Award nominees, in my eyes."