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A Voice Silenced
Most Sinfonians can look back at their education and find one teacher who stood ahead of everyone else. For most, it was the music teacher in their lives that provided the direction we needed. They know deep in their hearts how much they appreciate the dedication and commitment that was made, even if it was not publicized.
On January 7, choral students at Basic High School in Henderson, Nevada gathered to sing at a memorial for their choral director, Matthew Cox, Delta Iota (Western Michigan) '95. Cox was found murdered in his home last December. He had only been at the school for less than three years, but had managed to create a family through music.
Building a "Basic" Program
Cox started at Basic High School in 2006. Even though he was made aware that many of the students come from low-income
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households, he moved forward with his vision of a choral program.
Roxanne Kelly, assistant principal at Basic High School, comments, "It was all about his ideas and what we wanted to do. He was a perfectionist in what he did, but he had the ability to envision something and take the steps to get there."
Cox wanted to give every opportunity for his students to be exposed to music. Some may have viewed him as an idealist, but he stood by his belief that anyone can be taught to sing. He spent a lot of time with his kids to find out how to reach out to them. As a result, he created the school's first a capella group, called "Basically A Capella," and was working on a student rock band. Additionally, he began to work with the band and orchestra directors in a truly collaborative effort to perform a student musical.
Cox with his cast after a school production of Oliver. |
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He didn't budge on his desire to be challenged. While at Basic, he was courted by a number of schools with more financial resources. He stayed to continue what he had begun. In fact, he worked to take his groups to San Francisco and New York.
"Matt was a born educator. He was able to take the music and bring it to the kids," remarks Kelly.
A Lifelong Musician
Cox's music education began at an early age in Michigan. His mother, Debra Armstrong, remembers his curiosity before he even started school. She remembers showing him how a piano could play any song he could think of. The first two that came to his mind where "Popeye, The Sailor Man" and "Happy Birthday." |
He began taking piano lessons and even entered a talent show in first grade playing the theme to "The Muppet Show."
"His hands couldn't reach octaves so his teachers had to re-write the music for him," Armstrong recalls.
By the time he reached high school, Cox was a very proficient piano player. He didn't start singing until he was invited by a friend to audition for the choir. He later took on another challenge by performing in school musicals.
When he started looking at colleges, his grades gave him many options. He chose Western Michigan University where he was initiated into Phi Mu Alpha in spring 1995. One of his best friends, Shawn Brier, Delta Iota '95, recognized his potential while they were both probationary members.
"He tried out for the class choral director and beat out everyone for the spot, hands down. It was clear that he knew what he was talking about, even though he was just getting started in his college education," he remembers.
Both Cox and Brier sang in a seven-person a capella group called "VII." Cox was solely responsible for all music arrangements for the ensemble. The group performed at a number of different venues and released a CD of original music and covers. One of the songs, "I Don't Know Why (Grandmother's Song)" was written by his grandmother.
Armstrong comments, "I remember that he asked her permission to arrange it so he could get it copyrighted for her."
After graduation, Cox became the choral director at Hopkins High School in Michigan where he built the choral program from the ground up. He welcomed the challenge.
When he introduced the idea of doing musicals, they had a couple |
Cox (bottom row, middle) singing with his a capella group, VII. |
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of hurdles to jump. The school didn't have an auditorium, so a stage was built in the cafeteria. To have a pit orchestra, he worked with his chapter brothers to fill the needed spots. He used his resources to make it work.
"He had a smoke machine on the stage. It was such a big thing, they had a local news station talk about it," laughs Armstrong.
After a short time, Cox realized that Hopkins wasn't where he needed to be. According to Kelly, Cox went to Las Vegas because he wanted to provide more opportunity for students in an area that was more diverse and culturally relevant.
Brier adds, "Hopkins was a good school, but the community was small and sometimes close minded to people who were different. Vegas offered Matt the challenge that he dreamed of."
Cox provides direction to his students. |
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His Impact on Others
No one may have recognized how Cox impacted the lives of his students while he was teaching. It's only now as they celebrate his life that it can be noticed. The vision that Cox brought to music helped to build his program. For him, there were no boundaries.
"He truly believed that music was a level playing field where people from all different points of origin could meet. His choirs had as many jocks as not. He had the social elite combined with the meek and timid," observes Brier.
The day before the memorial for Cox, the choir students at Basic High School performed their Christmas concert which had to be postponed due to the first snowstorm to hit the Las Vegas area in 30 years. In fact, the day after Cox's death, his students could be found singing Christmas carols in a nearby mall. All of it was done in honor of their teacher. |
"The kids knew what needed to be done and they were going to go about it," says Kelly.
At Matt's funeral in Michigan, students from Hopkins High School, who he had not seen in over two years, came to pay their respect. Additionally, over 40 alumni Sinfonians were in attendance and sang "We Shall Walk (Through the Valley)," "Amazing Grace," and "Sinfonian Parting Song."
Because Matthew Cox was only in his early 30's, we will never know what he could have achieved. There are many people, including Sinfonians, who lose their life at a young age and never meet their potential. We will never know where his life was going to take him, but we know where it has been. As a musician and an educator, he will be remembered.
Brier concludes, "I'm not sure why he wanted to be a teacher. All I know is that's what he wanted from the beginning. He was a natural at it." |
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