Masterful Maestro

You might say band director Paul Morton has the perfect bandwidth for his job at Driftwood Middle School, a magnet school in the Broward County public school system in Hollywood.

Morton has been at Driftwood for 31 years teaching four levels of band. Under his baton the school has won multiple state awards and recognition for performances. He is also an adjudicator for the Florida Bandmasters Association, according to his Driftwood bio, and an active member of the Florida chapter of the American School Band Directors Association.

Morton has a special rapport with his students in beginning, advanced, Symphonic and Jazz bands. That empathetic connection extends to mentoring college interns and former students who have gone on to careers in music. They keep in touch through a group text called Paul’s Children.

“Teaching music and band to 11 to 13-year-olds is a wonderful process,” Morton says, but is like learning any school subject. “The good thing about it is, they want to be in my classroom. It’s not like you have to be in band. They have to want to be there, and I want them there, so it’s a win win.”

For first year students, teaching is a challenge in the beginning, Morton admits. The kids must learn to read music and acquire the physical skills they need to play their instruments. “By January parents are impressed that they can recognize the tunes their kids are playing, and it develops from there,” he says.

Morton’s middle schoolers feel comfortable talking to him about personal matters. “I’m a good listener and they know I care about them and love them. Plus, I have them for three years. They get to know me better than most teachers.”

Teamwork is part of any band’s repertoire and Morton, 60, is a team player. He switched from playing clarinet to tuba as a high school student because the band needed a tuba player. The tuba landed him a scholarship to the University of West Virginia where he earned his degree in music education.

Morton and his wife Zuli, who each have two adult children from previous marriages, live in Davie. On a grace note, when he’s not at Driftwood, Morton serves as music director for Plantation Community Church.

Watching a child blossom through performance, and at higher levels auditioning for competitive state ensembles gives him great satisfaction. The confidence students gain, he says, carries over into other aspects of their lives.

“Seeing kids overcome the obstacles of playing their instruments and love to play music, that means everything.”