Witty, Easygoing Mr. Jung Is Student Pick for Teacher of the Year
Mr. Jung and the band warm up in the band room before 2019’s Winter Concert. Photo: Justin Chow
By AARIN ARORA
Music teacher Mr. Alexander Jung was voted 2020 Teacher of the Year by Midwood’s student body. His sarcastic wit, easy-going nature, and commitment to teaching have long made Mr. Jung popular with band students. He teaches symphonic band, music appreciation, and percussion ensemble, while also helping out with SING! on the side. We recently sat down with him for a conversation.
How many years have you been teaching?
I was just doing the math — this is my fourteenth year. I taught many years of middle school before I came to Midwood. It’s been great! I always wanted to be a teacher. So, life goal: check. Upsetting parents: check. They wanted me to be a businessman, but I became a teacher instead.
What are your hobbies or outside interests?
Well, I play music. Before the pandemic I was in lots of different bands and groups. I’m wearing my shirt for Funkrust Brass Band — that's the only one that's still really going through the pandemic. Apparently we’re now a boat band since we played on the East River and the Gowanus Canal, because that's a thing. Maybe I’ll be a pirate someday.
In my other spare time, I really enjoy video games because that's a real nice release for me. I like playing with my dog — my dog is adorable — and then going out to dinner with my wife. I enjoy the finer things. I love Taco Bell. It’s not a “hobby,” but it is a large interest.
Mr. Jung shows off his very fluffy dog during our virtual interview. Photo: Aarin Arora
What jobs did you have before teaching?
Zero. Out of college this was my first job. Granted, I worked during high school and college. I was a baker at a bagel store. I got to wake up at four in the morning and go in and bake bagels. That was out in the Midwest, when I lived in Ohio.
I studied for an undergrad in math and music at Boston College — where the preppies go — and then I went to Northwestern University in Chicago for straight-up music to get my Master’s.
When I was in college in Boston, I used to take down [clean up] parties. My sister worked for an event planning company. She would throw all these parties and they would need people to take the party down. We met Billy Joel one night at the end of a party. We had just missed Elton John by half an hour.
When did you decide you wanted to be an educator?
When I was in high school, the most important people in my life other than my family and my close friends — because I was a big nerd, you know I really liked school — were my AP Latin teacher, my AP BC Calculus teacher, and my band teacher. They were just great people in my life, and they put me into a lot of things that I still enjoy now. I wanted to do what they were doing. I wanted to make a difference.
What are some of your favorite memories of teaching?
Most people say that they love the concerts. I do like concerts. But I don't know, a concert is just an opportunity for the kids to go out there and have an experience. I like the experience, but is that a moment that I remember? I feel like I enjoy the interactions more than the product. I like the day-to-day grind.
What challenges did you experience as a teacher?
I was a terrible teacher my first year. I had no idea what I was doing. All those teachers that have good first years — good for them, ‘cause mine was terrible! Just growing into being comfortable with myself as a teacher was the biggest hurdle the first three years.
When I came to New York, the situation that I first got hired for was this kind of run-down middle school program, so I sort of had to start it from scratch, finding ways to raise money, get instruments, get kids involved, literally starting from ground zero. I was also trying to figure out how to teach properly and manage a number of students at the same time.
There was constant fighting at the school, and a lot of the job required breaking up fights. It was a little overwhelming, especially in contrast to the situation I had come from. I had taught students in an extremely wealthy part of northern Chicago; they had just built a new million dollar music wing the year that I taught there. They had like 16 practice rooms with their own special air conditioners, and that was just for the band. Then there was the art wing and the orchestra wing. And then I came here, and a kid leaned over to me on the first day and was like, “I’m pretty sure a kid peed in that tuba.” That was not expected. Overcoming the challenge of having these ivory tower expectations and then entering reality, and not really knowing how to teach fully, that was the biggest thing to overcome.
Mr. Jung with his wife at a family event. Photo: Mr. Jung
What lessons have you learned from this job?
That not everything needs to be so serious. Not everything in life always requires super-discipline and focus. Those things help make the experience more enjoyable for the audience and the people involved, but sometimes you have to enjoy stuff first to get involved. There needs to be a balance. Other styles are fine, too, but that’s my way of doing things.
What advice would you give to others who want to pursue the same career as you?
If you want to be a teacher, get ready to write a lot of lesson plans. A lot. That’s almost all education degrees are. You learn how to write lesson plans, and then you learn how to complain about writing lesson plans. Those are the two major things you learn when becoming an educator.
If you want to become a music educator, I think you can major in anything. Go do whatever you want. In New York, you have to have a Master’s Degree, so I was a math major and then I went to music for grad school. So it’s okay to switch it up; you don’t necessarily have to be music-focused to be a music educator. In fact, I think [a broader field of study] builds a more well-rounded person.
If there’s one thing you want students to learn from your class what would it be?
How to learn by themselves. Independence. How to not need Mr. Jung is what Mr. Jung teaches.