It’s no secret that the music department has often been regarded as one of the best in the business. Having won a Grammy for music education last year, it has proved that every ensemble and director takes pride in their work to make a top notch music program.

To continue the standard of the program, guest speaker Dr. Larry Livingston came to speak to the over 900 of the music department’s students this past Thursday in a special assembly. Impacting many, students were inspired by his viewpoint of the term “music” and music education across schools.

“(Livingston) described how music was a way to feel human and connect with each other, and that’s what resonated with me the most,” senior Alex Burt said.

Livingston, a nationally-acclaimed conductor, educator, and motivational speaker, was brought in by the music department to give students inspiration, to show that music correlates strongly with human development, as well as to inspire others to continue with music education into the future. He was also chosen as the annual honorary member for Tri-M, a music honors society made up of approximately one third of Metea’s music students.

“The coolest thing was just watching how the students were captivated by what he did and said, and how he himself wanted to spend more time getting to know the students individually,” band director Josh Kaminsky said.

During Livingston’s dynamic speech, he made many of the students think about their future, and how music can always have a strong connection to what career one may pursue. He emphasized having a growth mindset, and while one has both successes and failures, music can always be there and help relieve stress when needed.

“Metea music has made me more confident that I’m building a strong foundation for life skills that I’m going to use for the rest of my life,” sophomore Natalie Baker said.

Livingston had great audience interaction, which helped give some of the students a new perspective on music and made him a favorite among the Metea community.

“He’s the most genuine guy I’ve ever met,” Kaminsky said.

Livingston is well-known as the founding director of the Illinois Chamber Orchestra. He has also appeared with the Houston Symphony, and has conducted the Stockholm Wind Orchestra. He also performed at the 1982 International Jazz Festival in Rome, and has served as the primary director of the Pan Pacific Festival Orchestras in Sydney.