“Charlie is a tremendously dedicated person. Many of his performances
occur well beyond the instructional day and cause most workdays, many
weekends, and holidays to be long and challenging. Yet, Charlie has blended
his passion for young people and music with teaching,” said Knutson.
“He is my mentor,” stated Gibraltar senior Matt Burress who
performs in the jazz, jazz and combo, and concert bands. “Not only
is he a great teacher, but he is my friend; I can relate to what he says.
Mr. Eckhardt ‘talks’ to me, communicates with me. He’s
always fair and a really good guy.”
Eckhardt does not hesitate in crediting his passion for music to his father.
“Music has been a constant in my life thanks to my dad. He was self-taught
and really got into it; he played in polka bands, lounge bands, wind bands,
composed high-brow music and wrote arrangements for dance bands in northeastern
Wisconsin. But he also recognized how important exposing his children
to culture was. All of my sisters and brothers played instruments growing
up. With nine of us kids, we’d have our own family concerts,”
laughed the Sheboygan native.
By the second grade, Charlie was fingering a trumpet. “Growing up
I could hear something and figure out how to play it. Throughout school,
I did all the usual music things. By high school, I took up the piano
and my friend Rich Zoran and I started writing some of our own stuff.
We connected with two other friends and started our own band,” he
said.
Following high school graduation, Eckhardt and his band performed “gigs”
throughout the Midwest. “We played rock and were a pretty classy
band. We were living our dream and hoped someone would sign us. But I
had to eat,” he said. That realization led to a 5 1/2-year stint
in the United States Navy where he learned something about himself that
would change the course of his life.
“I was good at training,” Eckhardt said simply, “and
when I finished the service, I knew I wanted to teach. So I headed back
to school at 28 years old.” Attending Lakeland College, Eckhardt
“made the decision I was going to get the most out of the experience.
It wasn’t always easy; I worked 40 hours a week and took 16 credits.”
It was his college experience that eventually led to his life in Door
County. “I met my wife, Evelyn [Sohns] while we were both students
at Lakeland,” Eckhardt grinned. But before receiving the call to
head to the peninsula, the new teacher accepted his first position in
Winter, Wisconsin where he “questioned the decision I had made.
I had to learn to be ‘gentle,’” he explained, “to
learn the art of persuasion in teaching.”
Four years later, no longer a novice teacher, Eckhardt’s second
placement was with the Plymouth Middle School. “It was definitely
a change; I taught 120 students in Winter,” he said. “At Plymouth
I taught 225. But sixth, seventh, and eighth graders are my favorite group.
Everything is new to them.”
Within a year of transferring into the Plymouth system, however, Eckhardt
was moving out and up. “We had been coming up to Door County to
visit Evelyn’s family and friends, and she said, ‘Wouldn’t
it be great if you got a job at Gibraltar,’” he recalled.
“Joel Blahnik who had been the Gibraltar band director in the 1980s
encouraged me to apply and I did. But I thought I blew the interview because
I told them I was here because of Evelyn.”
But Eckhardt’s credentials won the day and according to his “boss,”
it’s been a win-win situation ever since. “From the jazz band
performing for an Elderhostel group or a senior citizen holiday dinner,
to the pep band and marching band supporting our athletic teams and community
celebrations, Charlie rallies parents and students to coordinate literally
dozens of instrumental music performances each year,” Knutson related.
“Whether at home, in his classroom, or out and about in Door County,
Charlie is performing music, listening to music, creating music, speaking
about music, teaching youngsters about music, and enjoying the people
of our community. Wherever you find Charlie, you will likely find a gathering
of music lovers.”
Colleague Mary Bell agrees, saying, “I visit Gibraltar School a
couple of times a year and give flute sectionals to some of the younger
flute players. Usually, when I walk into the band room to work with the
flutes, Charlie has 10 kids talking to him all at the same time and he
has the innate ability to answer everyone’s question. I leave the
band room exhausted! He has such enthusiasm for teaching and it shows
by the way the kids learn and perform. They are very comfortable with
Charlie. He has taught them to have fun, but also to know when it is time
to be serious, and they don’t cross that line.” From a student’s
point-of-view, Burress agreed. “He talks about his own experiences
with music, and I can relate to what he says.”
And that down-to-earth approach works in all sectors. “Charlie’s
ability to share his life experiences is a quality that makes him unique,”
emphasized Knutson. “He talks about his father’s love of music,
about growing up in Sheboygan, about playing football, or about being
in a rock band. Charlie is a natural storyteller with a wonderful ability
to create connections between life lessons and music. Kids find that intriguing.”
Eckhardt takes a humble approach to the students he mentors. “Band
is what I do on a regular basis, but you have to make it fun. Teaching
is exciting because kids are always changing, evolving. And you have to
change and adapt with them. In the end, the hard work is the truest reward
earned,” he explained. “I hope I’ve set the bar high
enough for the students. My ultimate goal is to make every kid in band
realize their musical contribution is valued.”
And when the day is done and Eckhardt heads home to his family, who does
he listen to? Smiling, he said, “I don’t. I listen to the
‘chop, chop’ of getting dinner ready. I do all the cooking
at home.” That may be true, but he also enjoys jamming with friends.
“Our band, Bacchus Lotus, started in 1978 and we still play together
when we have time. We’re all second-generation German-Russian boys;
we maintain the work ethic. I also make time to play with local Door County
musicians and even ex-students who want to join the session,” he
said.
Charlie Eckhardt might not have Professor Hill’s 76 trombones to
lead the big parade, or 110 cornets close at hand…but he does have
the dedication to lead the music and band students of Gibraltar Schools
in an appreciation of music and life.
“Due to his love of music and young people, as well as his ability
to share time and knowledge, Charlie bonds with kids and adults while
collaborating musical goals. Consequently, he is a positive force in Gibraltar
Schools and Northern Door County,” Knutson said – a notion
seconded by Bell, who added, “The music program has really grown
since Charlie came to Gibraltar. He has been and continues to be a great
asset to our school and community.”
