MONTROSE, Colo. (KREX) — When you walk into the band room at Centennial Middle School there’s one thing, besides music, you’re sure to find, and that’s smiles. Our August Golden Apple winner, Cameron Beauchamp, makes sure of it.

Mr. Beauchamp has been teaching Band at Centennial Middle School for three years, and in that time, recruitment to the bands has gone way up. This year the beginning band has 60 kids, the intermediate/advanced band has 65, and there’s 20 in jazz band. 

Mr. B. loves music because it gives people an opportunity to express themselves, and he loves teaching music because he says it’s the best curriculum to teach kids how to be good people. He said, “Band gives students a really good opportunity to practice teamwork, to practice hard work and determination in a skill that they may not be good at right away. It gives them some real life application skills of working with people, whether they likes everyone in the band or not.” 

Being the first week of a new school year, he has a number of students starting out with new instruments, and choosing your instrument is a fun experience for both Mr. B. and the kids. He said, “I always tell the kids that choosing an instrument is like Hogwarts and the Sorting Hat. You don’t choose the instrument, the instrument chooses you.” 

Mr. B. said the band room is where he always felt like he belonged, and he’s thrilled to provide that safe, fun, creative, space for his students. He told us, “Music class has always been where I felt like I belonged, where I was challenged, and where my friends always showed up. That’s really what inspires me to come to work every single day, is giving these kids that opportunity to express themselves, to have fun together, and make some music.”

Mr. Beauchamp left me with one message, “Music class is the best class that a middle schooler can be in.” Thanks Mr. B. for your hard work as an educator and for introducing kids to the rewarding world of music. Congratulations for winning a Golden Apple Award.