Sam Ellibee, Director of Bands and Guitar at Burns High and Hines Middle Schools

Sam Ellibee never planned to become a teacher. With an oboe in hand and performance dreams in his heart, he had mapped out a different future entirely. Yet today, as the Director of Bands and Guitar for both the high school and middle school in Burns, Oregon, Ellibee has found his calling in education—and he couldn't be happier about the unexpected turn his life has taken.

"My path towards being a teacher was non-existent until I started teaching at a private music conservatory in Colorado Springs, CO," Ellibee reflects. "My original goal in music was to go into music performance in the specialization of Oboe (in which I earned my degree in) and start a masters in performance in Colorado University in Boulder, CO."

When those performance plans didn't work out, Ellibee returned to his hometown of Burns, where he discovered that the band director position was still available. He stepped into this role that would transform not only his career but also his understanding of his purpose.

Ellibee's typical day reflects the dedication required of a multi-school educator. His morning begins at the high school, where he teaches guitar during first period, band during second period, and 10th grade AVID. "After those classes get over with, I hurry on over to the middle school to teach sixth period 7th and 8th combined band, seventh period 6th grade beginning band, eighth period middle school guitar, and ninth period Advisory at the end of the day," he explains.

The schedule is about to become even more demanding. For the upcoming school year, Ellibee will add 11th grade AVID to his responsibilities, requiring him to remove middle school guitar from his schedule to make room. Despite the hectic nature of switching between buildings, he appreciates the flexibility his principals provide: "I am thankful my two building principals are lenient and give me time in-between both buildings for lunch and a prep period."

Surprisingly, adding AVID courses to his predominantly musical teaching load has been a welcome change. "AVID at first was going to be a worry for me since I normally just teach music, but after teaching 10th grade AVID this past year it has been a great break in-between all the music classes!"

Ellibee's motivation for teaching runs deeper than curriculum and lesson plans. Having grown up in Burns himself, he experienced firsthand the challenges of inconsistent music education. "Growing up here in Burns was not ideal if you were wanting to be a musician. Though, I had so much support from outside sources such as Ken and Debbie Peckham, my oboe teacher and dear friend Dr. Amy Goeser Kolb, the Harney Arts and Education Foundation, the Chamber Music Society, as well as my family. The school district was never able to keep a band director for more than one year on average since I started in fifth grade back in 2010. Ken Peckham was the director for years and had retired when I was in fourth grade." "My oboe teacher from high school (Dr. Kolb) always told me, "Sam, there is no hope in oboe playing! You have to know what you are doing all the time. You cannot walk on stage and hope you are going to play the right notes and rhythms, you have to know the piece so well that you can play those right notes and rhythms!" This phrase has helped me open up my eyes to a whole different perspective on anything in life and has honestly made me a better person to this day.

This instability shaped his educational philosophy and his determination to provide something different. "I want my students to have the best experience and to try and give them opportunities that my friends (while I was in school) and I never received. My students deserve to have a band director they can look up to and have a good role model for and that has been my goal since I have started."

The realities of running a music program in a small, rural district present ongoing challenges. "Running a band program costs a lot of money, especially since my program doesn't have a lot of working school instruments at the moment," Ellibee acknowledges. While fundraising and donations have helped, he hopes for better future funding from the school district.

Geographic isolation compounds these challenges. "Living in a small town also is a major struggle since most of my colleagues and connections I have are in Central Oregon and the west side. We always have to travel to events and it becomes challenging with scheduling those events ahead of time."

To address this isolation, Ellibee has taken initiative in building professional networks. He's working with the Oregon Music Educators Association's small schools collaborative, partnering with a teacher from Sutherlin to create a Google Drive resource folder for rural band directors. "In hopes that we can get as many resources incorporated into this google drive, so small school band directors who live in the middle of nowhere (such as myself) can have access to music resources that larger school band directors have easier access to."

Ellibee's commitment to his community extends beyond his teaching duties. He participates in the local youth collaborative, Youth Changing the Community Collaborative, seeing it as a natural extension of his educational mission. "I participate in the youth collaborative because I find it important as someone who grew up here," he explains. "Being able to help out in whatever way I can is important so that I can not only give back to my community but also the fact that I have a direct connection with students being a teacher."

He recognizes the unique value he brings as someone who understands the local experience: "As someone who did grow up here, it was great to see students who recently had graduated (whether you knew them personally or just knew their name) and seeing them come back and be successful."

In addition to his educational work, Ellibee maintains diverse interests and responsibilities. During summers, he works in fire dispatch, and he makes time for hobbies including golfing, flying drones, and playing video games—activities that help him recharge during his limited free time.

Now entering his fourth year of teaching in Burns, Ellibee continues to pursue his professional development. He plans to start a master's degree in the arts of teaching at Eastern Oregon University this fall, building on his 2022 Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance from Central Washington University.

"Since then, I have absolutely loved teaching and I wish I would have gone into Music Education in my undergrad," Ellibee admits. What began as an unexpected career change has evolved into a passionate calling, driven by his desire to provide the kind of consistent, supportive musical education he wished he had received as a student.

Through his multifaceted role as educator, mentor, and community member, Sam Ellibee exemplifies how returning to one's roots can create lasting impact, transforming not just individual lives but entire educational experiences for future generations.