The choir students fortunate enough to be in class in the middle of a Monday morning got to cheer on their beloved director as he added another award to the high-achieving group’s trophy case.
This one, though, he may be keeping for himself.
Harker Heights High School choir director Spencer Wiley is the Killeen ISD Secondary Teacher of the Year.
It’s hard to say when the reality began to sink in – probably sometime between the sounds of the drumline taking up the rear of a large award presentation crew and when someone placed the crown on his head and the stole on his shoulders.
Superintendent Jo Ann Fey joined a group of district leaders, Principal Jorge Soldevila and a bunch of excited choir and band students to join the celebration in the choir room.
“It feels amazing,” said Wiley. “I’m a choir teacher and we have had a lot of success in that field. To know that the staff at Harker Heights and the administration at the district level has recognized the work I’ve done its recognition on a different scale,” he said.
“It’s been amazing – best year ever.”
He led his top choir earlier this year in performing at the Texas Music Educators Association conference in San Antonio, a huge highlight for any music educator’s career and the first time a KISD choir received an invitation in 25 years.
Most recently, all six of the school choirs earned Sweepstakes honors at the UIL solo and ensemble competition.
Senior choir member Megan Barr was one of many students ready to brag on their award-winning director.
“I love Mr. Wiley because he’s a very encouraging person,” said Barr. “He goes above and beyond for all of us. He’s just a very encouraging and heartfelt person. I’m so unbelievably proud of him. He deserves this.”
Earlier in the morning, the group visited Maude Moore Wood Elementary School and surprised Elementary Teacher of the Year Keisha Lovell. Each receive $5,000.
The two teachers of the year are submitted as KISD’s entries in the Region 12 teacher of the year process.
Both Lovell and Wiley began the process like 50 of their colleagues across the school district, selected as campus teachers of the year.
They completed essays and hosted class visits and provided interviews.
In the end, a panel chose the pair as the best of the best. Another 11 teachers will be named finalists and receive $1,000. The other campus teachers of the year receive $500.
Part of the application process requires the chosen teachers to elaborate on their teaching philosophies. Wiley wrote the following:
My educational philosophy centers around creating life-long lovers of music. I believe in giving my students access to as many real-world musical experiences as possible so that they are equipped with the skills needed to succeed in any musical path they choose. Whether it be as a career in vocal performance or a form of musical expression as a hobby, I want my students to have the vocal ability and musical intellect to do whatever they want to when they graduate and move on to the next stage of their lives. And most importantly, I believe in giving students the gift of musical literacy because no matter what they decide to do, mastering the ability to read music will allow them to continue to grow as a musician throughout the rest of their lives.
Wiley earned a music education degree from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and a master’s degree of music from Texas State University.
He has been a school choir director since 2005 and has been the head choir director at Harker Heights since 2019.
“They work just as hard as I do,” he said of his students. “With talent and hard work, it’s a beautiful thing to work with these talented students. They are my inspiration.”
During months of preparation for the state conference performance, the director initiated a practice called Heart 2 Heart discussions, giving students the chance to talk about the music, translate foreign lyrics and to team build and get to know each other.
One time the “brain break” session led to a walk to the tennis courts and an impromptu dodge ball game that built morale and refocused the high-achieving group.
“The biggest thing we’ve learned is connecting,” he said. “We call it heart to heart, and it’s really changed this choir program…Getting to know my students and allowing them to get to know me has been the key to our success this year.”
