Hard to believe that everybody’s favorite music teacher, Paul Trust, did not start his career journey anywhere near music education. His original goal was marketing and advertising, which, of course, we could all easily picture him doing.Ultimately, though, and luckily for us, he chose his stronger passion. He joyfully shares that love every day with PS 39 students.
“My sister, who is four years older than me, was a drummer,” he says of his musical beginnings in Rockland County, New York. “She was always involved with the band. I always watched her. She would always be with her practice pad, very diligent in trying to get better. She had her upper classmen that she really loved to learn from. And I learned from her. You learn by watching others to see how they do.”
He had a teaching influence as well, to complete the Paul Trust remix.
“My mother’s a teacher, so it kind of runs in the family,” he says.
Not long after watching his sister bond and grow with the drums, he chose his own musical path. However, his choice was quite a different sound.
“When in third grade I had to choose an instrument,” he says. “I chose the tuba, only because my best friend chose the tuba. Little did I know that it would dictate the rest of my life. It’s funny how things work out like that.
“I loved the tuba. It was this humongous instrument and at first I was making these horrendous sounds out of it. Over time, though, I really worked at trying to get better. I finally could say I was a musician and really play the instrument.”
Even at an early age, people were noticing that Mr. Trust had a special relationship with music.
He says, “I just remember some of my teachers from first, second and third grade who would come to see our concerts. They would notice how into it I was. I’d be tapping, I’d be moving, so they realized that I really enjoyed music. It really starts from elementary school and what you do with it.
“From there, I continued with tuba all throughout junior high and high school. Some of my friends were playing guitar, and so I started to get involved in bands. Tuba really wasn’t such a rock-and-roll instrument, so I switched over to bass guitar. And I continued with bands all the way through college.”
While at the State University of New York Oswego, he majored in business with plans to get buttoned-down in the business of marketing.
“When I first moved to the city, I tried to get into the advertising world,” he says, “but I hit my head against a concrete block. I could not get into creative. I could get jobs in ad sales, but not creative. So I thought, I could really try to work hard at that, or I could work really hard at what I love even more, which is music.”
So off he went, for his second bachelors, at City College. His major was Jazz Performance. Eventually, he earned a masters in music education from Queens College.
His first stop: teaching at a high school in Queens for four years. But fate held even more in store for him – and for us.
“I wanted to try something different,” he says, “so I decided to look around. Just through some of the avenues I pursued, my resume wound up with Ms. De Paz. She interviewed me and PS 39 sounded like a great school.
“As I said, I really fell in love with music from my elementary time. I’ve already done the high school for several years, so I decided to check out elementary school. And I love it.”
His experience at PS 39 keeps him playing many different tunes.
He says, “With high school students, there is a difference between the freshman and the seniors, even though they are all still young adults at that point. But I come to this school and I teach everything from Pre-K to fifth, and the difference is so huge.
“With Pre-K, it’s really a lot about exposure and movements and expressiveness. But in fifth grade, we’re trying to read through music charts and gain experience with music notation and performance and instruments and what have you. So I really get a nice, broad spectrum.”
Through his teaching at PS 39, Mr. Trust has uncovered some truths about students and music.
“I think there are some students who gravitate toward music,” he says. “It seems to come naturally to them. But I also want to say that just because somebody shows a gift doesn’t necessarily mean that they are going to be a better musician than someone who doesn’t.
“I feel a lot about what makes a good musician is your ability to focus and to work on your craft. It doesn’t matter how great your gift is if you don’t put it to use. So someone who is maybe not [musically gifted] may not find it as easy as someone else, but if they really work at it, they can become a fantastic musician.
“Charlie Parker, the great jazz saxophonist, was apparently horrible when he started. Papa Joe Jones threw a cymbal at him at an Open Mike to get him off the stage. So he went home and he practiced and practiced and practiced. And now he’s one of the greatest jazz artists who ever lived. It’s just a matter of putting your mind to it and focusing.”
Mr. Trust also has advice for parents who may feel that their children are moving toward a musical passion.
He says, “If parents feel that their child has an interest in music, then they should let them be exposed to different instruments. What I do here is try to expose students to what’s out there. I teach them a bit about reading music and about different songs and different composers, from back in the day to modern times.
“But ultimately, if the child decides that they want to play piano or guitar or drums, let them pursue that and take lessons. Let them try to take it seriously.
“I think it’s important not to force a child to play an instrument. They have to have an interest and a love. And they have to understand that maybe it’s not for them, or maybe it’s not for them now. They may lose interest, but they also may come back to it.
“That’s what happened to me for a little while. I sort of thought that I wasn’t going to be playing anymore. Where I was in my life, it just didn’t fit in, and I can’t believe I thought that at one time. Things come and go, but expose them to it. Take them to music stores. Let them bang on some drums and hit some pianos or pick up a guitar. Then have them take lessons and have them learn from a teacher who does that for a living.”
There also may be some exciting musical news to close out our exciting year at PS 39. “There is a talent show in the works,” he says. “It is in the early stages of development. We’re shooting for the springtime. More information will be revealed, possibly a May date. That will give the children who do take lessons an opportunity.
“However, it doesn’t only have to be in music. I know some students pursue ballet. I even heard that there is a child here who is an amateur magician. It should be a nice, diverse show where kids who have the talent or who are working on pursuing some sort of craft can come and show what they’ve got.”
That will make us positively Glee-ful! And we all thank Mr. Trust for keeping the music – and the inspiration -- alive every day!
-Ron Sklar- PS 39 Reporter At Large
