BEMIDJI—Whether it’s been as a high school teacher, college professor or Air Force conductor, music has been a common chord throughout Scott Guidry’s life and career.
For the past few years, Guidry has served as an assistant professor and as the director of bands at BSU, but he’s been surrounded by music since he was a child listening to his parents play harmonica and piano in the house. Partly because of that early exposure and partly because of his own interest, he would would continue to follow musical pursuits for decades thereafter.
“It was always around me,” Guidry, originally from Louisiana, said. “Music creates those moments of artistic enrichment that are intangible.”
The desire to pursue music first sent him to the classroom where he taught high school music for a number of years. Although he eventually felt like he needed a change, that change came in the form of another musical venture.
He joined the Air Force in 1993, which is where he’d stay for the next 20 years. During his time in the military, he was able to travel more than many people could ever hope in a lifetime. Stationed out of both the U.S and Germany at different points, he traveled extensively throughout Europe and Asia, setting foot in more than 20 countries.
And while his military career may have been focused on his ability as musician and conductor, he led a number of roles within that capacity. In the U.S. Air Force band alone, there is a concert band, ceremonial band, a strings ensemble, a rock band, a jazz band and chorus, and Guidry had the opportunity to work with all of them.
The stages he performed on also varied greatly.
“He led ceremonies at the White House and Joint Base Andrews honoring the arrivals of heads of state of France, Canada, Germany, South Korea, China and the United Kingdom,” according to his profile on the BSU website.
In one of his last stints in the Air Force, he oversaw a rock band that was sent to entertain the troops in the Middle East for four months.
In spite of all those worldwide experiences, one of the most compelling moments for Guidry came when he helped lead a funeral ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery for a special operations airman.
“It made an indelible mark on me,” Guidry said. “In Arlington is where I think I did most of my most important service.”
After leaving the Air Force, Guidry began looking for teaching opportunities, eventually finding his way to Bemidji. He may no longer be working with professional musicians, but he said that’s largely beside the point.
Instead, he said the goal is to always to help musicians improve, regardless of whether they’re professionals in the military or students in college. The joy of working with music is the same across the board.
“It seemed natural to come back to education,” Guidry said.
And experiencing that phenomenon with other musicians is profound, regardless of the skill level, he said.
“Sometimes the band will reach a point musically that we haven’t felt before,” Guidry said. “It’s intangible, but it’s those moments that I look for no matter what age I’m teaching because they happen at all levels.”