As of this year, Mr. Matthew Karnstedt has joined the LHS staff as a band director at Libertyville.
A previous LHS grad, in 2008, and longtime Libertyville resident, Mr. Karnstedt was ecstatic at the opportunity to join the staff. As a student who went through the band program himself, Mr. Karnstedt remained in contact with Mr. Jeremy Marino and Mr. Dustin Helvie.
“Growing up here and going through the (band) program and having some of the people that I’m now working with who were my teachers, you know, it’s a great school, not only to be at when I was a student, but to be here teaching is amazing. Opportunities don’t always come up that way, so when you get the chance, of course, I’m gonna jump for it. I’m very happy that I was able to land it here,” stated Mr. Karnstedt.
Mr. Karnstedt worked in the area teaching music at various schools before LHS. Last year, he taught at Carl Sandburg Middle School in Mundelein, and the year before, Mr. Karnstedt taught at Millburn Middle School in Wadsworth. Having kept in contact with the other LHS band directors, Mr. Karnstedt received a call from LHS when the position was opening up.
“Having those industry connections always helps,” said Mr. Karnstedt.
Currently Mr. Karnstedt is working with the younger bands, in addition to his electronic music class. This is generally the job designated to the newer director, involving mostly the concert band and the symphonic band. Mr. Karnstedt strives to “provide a great support system to the entire program, something for all the kids to build on and to help them succeed whether they are going on to the higher bands or are just looking for a class to enjoy.”
For his electronic music class, Mr. Karnstedt aims to provide his students with an overall appreciation of modern music and its creation.
“[My] goal is to make contemporary music… but also to help develop a lifelong passion in music [in students], whether that’s electronic music or EDM….having a deeper understanding of how music works and how it’s put together, and then just developing those listening skills to appreciate it,” said Mr. Karnstedt.
For the class, students are able to use a number of professional musical tools including electronic keyboards, computers, and more. “Hopefully class will be running for many years to come!” Mr. Karnstedt said with a grin.
Mr. Karnstedt was also excited about chamber music, a method in which students break off into small groups regularly to approach music differently. Although it wasn’t his idea specifically, “it’s always something I’ve thought about in different programs… to help develop musicianship and individualism in different players,” said Mr. Karnstedt.
Although Mr. Karnstedt is fairly new to teaching here at LHS, students find him to be an effective and likeable educator. According to senior Zach Wilson, symphonic winds band member, Mr. Karnstedt is “not afraid to get the job done, even if that means being somewhat strict. He knows what he’s talking about, especially for someone young, and he seems like he’s in his place [here]”.
