After transferring from Merrillville Middle School to Crown Point Wheeler Middle School, Aaron Zemelko has climbed the ladder gaining the title of the Crown Point High School Orchestra director. Zemelko was inspired to become a teacher after witnessing another teacher instruct her class.
“I started helping a friend at this free Saturday school for the Arts sponsored by the Gary Historical Cultural Society, and I had never taught group lessons before. Then a woman named Beverly showed me how to teach a whole class. She took instruments, put them in the kids’ hands, and showed them how to hold them. It was just so magical watching her do that kind of work. It inspired me to want to teach, so then I started doing that and the joy and fulfillment I got from showing people how to play music was what made me want to be a teacher,” Zemelko said.
Since Zemelko has started teaching at the high school, he has not only taken on the existing classical chamber orchestra however he has also started the Jazz chamber orchestra.
“My favorite memory from the clubs would be going to ISSMA Jazz Fest and to ISSMA State Solo/Ensemble with the chamber. The jazz festival is always fun. I love jazz, so for me, sharing that love with kids is very important to me. So especially in orchestra, because we don’t do very much jazz in class if at all. So just giving you the opportunity to do that is what makes it so special to me,” Zemelko said.
Despite all Zemelko has accomplished these past years, he still faces challenges while instructing his students.
“I think that the biggest challenge was finding the right balance in intermediate to make sure the kids that don’t practice can find enjoyment and the kids that do take it seriously, can find enjoyment,” Zemelko said.
In the 2021-2022 school year Zemelko was given the opportunity to move up from teaching at the middle school to teaching in the high school.
“It was weird at first. Middle school has a different vibe, like completely different. Middle school kids are crazy. And I miss that crazy. I miss the wackiness of middle school. But at the high school, it’s fun working with people as they turn into the adults they’re going to become for the rest of their lives. So I miss the wackiness, but I love being at the high school and I love that I get to work on some of the world’s greatest music with kids here in Crown Point High School,” Zemelko said.
In Zemelko’s free time, he enjoys playing Pokemon Go. He was introduced to the game by students from the high school.
“When the game was introduced, Nick Burrell and Carter Bisell were at high school during the summer program as helpers, and they came in and asked me if I had heard about Pokemon Go and I had just gotten a smartphone. So I downloaded it like, right after it was announced and I’ve been playing it ever since,” Zemelko said.
Zemelko strives to create a positive environment for all of his students, always putting his students first.
