This is the eleventh installment of a new series that will highlight the Music for All staff members who work behind-the-scenes to make all of the positively life-changing experiences happen! Get to know each of our amazing staff members, as we learn more about who they are and what they do at Music for All. A new post will be featured every week!
Name/Job Title
Matt Markle-Mackowiak/Marketing Coordinator
Hometown:
South Bend, Indiana
How long have you been with Music for All?
3 years
What is your favorite event at Music for All and why?
By far the fall season is my favorite Music for All event. Traveling during the fall I am not only able to see some of the best marching bands in the country, but I am able to see drum corps friends and family that teach at schools that participate in BOA. Every weekend tends to be a family reunion.
What has been your favorite part of working at Music for All?
Being able to see the reactions of students, directors, parents, and spectators at our events is the best feeling anyone can imagine. For some, our events are the highlight of the year, if not, their life. The best is seeing the raw emotion left on the stage or football field and then seeing them beam with happiness and sometimes tears. I know after our events that I just made someone’s day.
Do you have a favorite memory of working an event with Music for All?
My favorite memory is now becoming an annual tradition at the Jacksonville Regional. The Music for All staff always grabs dinner the night before the show at the best barbeque/southern style food you will ever have! It is nice to take time and spend time with one another before the craziness of a show day.
What is your musical background?
I come from a family of music let it be music education, playing in the church choir, etc. I have played everything from piano, trumpet, and percussion. In high school I marched on the snare line for two years and then was drum major for my last two seasons, but I also spun in the winterguard.
Post high school I marched two seasons of drum corps. In 2008, I was contracted as a guard member with the Blue Stars, but due to a serious hip injury I had to forgo the rigorous and demanding choreography of Michael Shapiro. (2008 was by far one of my favorite Blue Stars shows!) However, in 2009 I was the drum major for Revolution Drum and Bugle Corps and in 2010 I was drum major for Spokane Thunder Drum & Bugle Corps.
One thing you couldn’t live without?
COFFEE!
What kind of music do you listen to?
I love me some Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky, and Malher.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I am doing either one of two things in my free time. It is either playing with my corgi, Elizabeth, or traveling the world with my husband.
Do you have a favorite quote?
The world is a book, and those who do not travel only read one page. – St. Augustine
What’s a show you’ve binge watched recently?
The Handmaid’s Tale
