Music teacher Jeff Loda, an avid fan of both Bowie and Brahms, wants to make music an intrinsic part of the culture at AHS. Loda, who plays 16 instruments, believes that music is essential to the AHS curriculum and is working hard to rethink the content of music classes to make them more relevant and appealing to students of all abilities.

When Loda was asked to take over the popular History of Rock and Roll elective, he decided to rename the course Rock and Roll Methods to reflect a more performance oriented approach. Loda had many ideas on how to improve the curriculum. Instead of the passive learning experience History of Rock and Roll originally offered, he thought it would be most effective to have the kids form their own band and cover songs they personally enjoyed listening to. Since many students in the class were already experienced musicians, Mr. Loda only had to supervise as the kids created their own band dynamic and taught one another how to play different instruments. His unique teaching technique proved to be quite successful.

By the end of the semester, Loda’s small group of students– two guitarists, a drummer, a bassist, and a vocalist — were able to create a setlist of songs, including Gold On the Ceiling and Hey Joe, that they would play at the Flamingo fundraiser for a performance-based final. Loda’s unusual, hands-off teaching style inspired his students to take initiative, hone their skills as musicians, and express themselves through music.

“Jeff is really passionate about what he does and gives us a challenge every class according to our individual skill set,” rhythm guitarist Simone Lamont said.

Loda felt incredibly gratified by his students’ performance at Flamingo.

“I think it was a big step forward for all of the musicians involved and, overall, for the music program in Aspen. It was a good showcase of the student’s talents and hard work,” Loda said.

A Chicago native, Loda came to AHS from Philadelphia, where he was the founding instrumental music teacher at the Arts Academy of Benjamin Rush, a public magnet performing arts high school. He was recruited to Aspen by his old high school friend, Steve Heldt, the music department head of the Aspen School District. Heldt and Loda worked together in high school as trumpeters at Medieval Times, a medieval- themed musical restaurant, and even attended the same college, Northern Illinois University.

“A couple years ago, Philadelphia felt like an unsustainable place to live, especially as a teacher. Steve said the music program at AHS was growing and there was an opening,” Loda said. “It’s not everyday you get an opportunity to work and live in one of the more special places in the country. My then fiance, who is now my wife, and I were excited to make the move.”

An accomplished musician, Loda began his musical career in the 5th grade when he took up  the cornet. Since then he has picked up an additional 15 instruments, including trumpet, clarinet, trombone, tuba, flute, clarinet, saxophone, percussion, piano, guitar, violin, viola, cello, and bass. Loda enjoys listening to a broad spectrum of music, ranging from classical to contemporary. While he is a great appreciator of all musical genres, he’s never attended a rock concert.

“I deliberately avoid going to venues with live music. I don’t dig shouting,” he said.

Loda has a passion for all kinds of music as well as for music education and it’s his goal to make AHS a more music-focused community.  

“This is pretty challenging for me. We don’t even have a band room in the high school and it’s not appealing for students to trek all the way to the elementary school in subzero temperatures to go to music class.” Loda sees AHS as a community that places more emphasis on academics and athletics rather than the music. “Scheduling conflicts are the number one problem for students who want to take music. A lot of students don’t have time to take electives, particularly students in the IB program,” Loda said.

Loda hopes to help AHS make a cultural shift and embrace the value of a sophisticated arts program.

“It seems students are drawn to athletics and everything else, but I guess that comes with the territory here in Aspen,” Loda said. “My challenge is finding out how to get that shift to happen. I hope the culture is changing–certainly, a lot of people are eager for it to change. Actions speak louder than words. We need action to bring the music program at AHS to where it should be.”