Rusty Ruggles, the Band Director at Mercer County High School for grades 9-12 (in addition to sixth grade band), has been teaching at his school for 27 years. Born and raised in Aledo, Illinois, Ruggles has always held a deep passion for music education, having earned his Bachelors in Music Education from Augustana College in 1994 and Masters in Music Education from Chicago’s Vandercook College of Music in 1999.
Ruggles has traveled with ETI numerous times in the past.
“When I started at Aledo High School in Fall of 1999 (now Mercer County High School as of 2009), we traveled with our Jazz Band and Show Choir every four years,” Ruggles recalled, noting the group visited locations including DC, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Niagara Falls, and Hershey, Pennsylvania. “We then split the groups and I traveled with my Jazz Band and filled the rest of the bus with Concert/Marching Band members. We’d alternate a Chicago trip (five times) and a further trip, which took us to New York City, Nashville, and New Orleans twice.”
Upon reflection, Ruggles cites a number of cool memories from his travels, though some especially stand out.
“I have a lot of favorite parts of our trips, but my favorite has to be the private concert at Preservation Hall in New Orleans,” he said. “It was so cool for the kids to be able to ask the legendary Jazz musicians questions about Jazz in its birthplace.”
Ruggles believes traveling with students is a truly educational experience.
“In many instances, this is the first time a student has been away from their family and are taking care of themselves,” he said. “We always take a great group of chaperones that help all of our students. Knowing directions, where to meet, being responsible for their money … all of the things go together and add up to equal the educational part of travel.”
When it comes to other educators who may be considering diving into the realm of student travel, Ruggles recommends band programs start small.
“Our Chicago trips were some of the best trips that we did,” Ruggles recalled. “I would always add one thing different, but keep some of the things that all kids love. Another thing I’d also always do is add something in the trip for me. That sounds a bit selfish, but it helped me get excited for the trip along with the students. It would normally be a baseball game or a concert.”
Ultimately, Ruggles chose to continue working with ETI for his travels because he didn’t see a reason to change.
“ETI was who the Choir teacher used before I got to Aledo High School, and they always did a great job with communication and organizing the trips,” he said. “I never wanted to switch to another company because they always did a great job.”
Ruggles is approaching his last year teaching and took his last student trip (New Orleans) this past summer.
“Looking back, I am so happy that we used ETI,” he shared. “I never felt like there was stupid question that I could ask. They were very flexible and able to research some crazy ideas that I had. Great company!”
Courtesy of ETI.
Photos courtesy of Rusty Ruggles.
