Four Peaks Elementary School and Fountain Hills Middle School will have a new music teacher next school year, but James Morales isn’t exactly a new face around the local district. He’s been working with the high school program for over a decade and, starting this August, he’ll also be heading up the music program for FHUSD’s younger students.

Originally from California, Morales attended Mesa Community College and Grand Canyon University, where he majored in secondary education with an emphasis in math.

Married to high school music instructor Lynn Truby, Morales said that part of his reasoning for going into math was that, at the time, it didn’t seem like Fountain Hills needed another music instructor.

“It didn’t seem like it would be a good idea to have two band directors in the same family,” Morales said. “Especially if we had to work in two school districts, we’d hardly get to see each other.”

Knowing that Fountain Hills had a high need for math instructors, Morales decided to gear his studies accordingly. As luck would have it, though, he eventually learned that the former middle school band instructor would be moving on.

“I’ve been teaching percussion for the last 15 years and music is a huge part of my life,” Morales continued. “Math is cool, but I love music and it made a lot of sense to go for this position.”

Morales said he had a chat with Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sweeney and the pair decided that it was a good fit.

Along with teaching percussion, Morales has also been the drill writer and drill instructor for the high school marching band. He also runs the live sound for all choir performances and has chaperoned all music program trips for over a decade.

Morales had the opportunity to teach algebra this past school year but admitted that he didn’t find the same spark that he does when teaching music.

“When I make music, it makes me happy, and I like sharing that with other people,” he continued. “That’s one of the cool things about music education; I get to do something I love and teach others how to do that same thing. The most fun is seeing a student, at the end of a performance getting excited about how well they did.”

After working with high school students for more than a decade, Morales said he’s going to have to shift his expectations when working with the younger musicians.

“In the music program, kids are usually excited to be there,” he said. “But at this new level, I have to remind myself that they are young. I tend to strive for excellence and I’m going to have to temper my expectations a little bit. They’re just learning and I want them to do their best.”

Morales said that he will continue to assist with the high school music program while teaching his new students.

As for his new program, he said the focus is going to be put on creating a community of young musicians.

“It’s more important that the kids are having fun and that they are engaged in what is going on,” he said. “It may sound strange to say that, but if they are engaged and having fun, the rigor and the standards will come.

“I want to make sure they feel welcome and know that my classroom is a safe place to learn; that’s my focus.”

When asked what he most wants students to take away from his class, Morales answered quickly with “a lifelong love of music.”

“That’s a real easy question,” Morales said. “At the end of the day, that’s my goal. I want students so see that music isn’t just something you do at school, but something that can be a part of your life for the rest of your life. That’s the lesson I want to instill in them.”