Spartan Profiles: Alan MacNair
USA TODAY ALL-USA TEACHER
One prestigious honor for teachers is to be named by USA Today to its annual All-USA team. Last year, Alan MacNair, BMUS ’73, longtime music teacher at Troy High School, was one of 20 teachers in the nation selected. “Oh, yes, it’s nice,” MacNair shrugs off. “I just do what I do and have a great time doing it. I’m very fortunate to have a principal who nominated me for this and to have wonderful kids.”
A native of West Springfield, MA, he decided to become a violinist after meeting Louis Krasner, concertmaster of the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, at Syracuse University. Having met MSU violinist Walter Verdehr at the Blue Lake summer camp, he decided to attend MSU and major in string education. Today he serves on the College of Music’s alumni board.
“My intention was to be a symphony violinist,” says Alan, who has played with the Boston Pops and the Detroit Symphony. A teaching opportunity opened up at Detroit’s Cass Tech in 1975. “I thought I’d teach for a while and keep auditioning,” recalls Alan. “Once I started teaching, it was all over. I loved it so much.”
He later moved to the Detroit Waldorf School, and in 1985 moved to Troy. Today the high school program boasts some 200 music students along with a symphony, a freshman orchestra and a combined full student orchestra that has been named National Grand Champion four times. Along the way, Alan founded the Troy String Camp, created the Troy Country Fiddlers, and started the annual Troy High orchestra trip.
Last spring they went to Carnegie Hall in New York. “That was memorable for me and for the kids,” says Alan. “The kids were so stoked they could hardly play. But after the rehearsals began, they did fine.”