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Iverson ending music teaching career at FFHS [UPDATED]

Good musicians who also are good students and outstanding individuals is what Band Director Jim Iverson says he will bring into retirement. This month he’s closing out almost 28 years in the Fergus Falls Public Schools System.

His grand finale will be Thursday, Jan. 26, when he directs his final performance at the Kennedy Secondary School Auditorium. The performance will be aired live over local television Channel 1 and through the school website.

“I’ve been so very fortunate to have worked with so many great student musicians here in Fergus Falls over the years,” said Iverson on Thursday. “These students have also conducted themselves as very nice, young adults.”

Iverson is a native of Mahnomen where he played the saxophone during high school. He continued play that instrument as a student at Concordia College, Moorhead.

He taught at Lake Park for seven years before coming to the Fergus Falls Public School District in the fall of 1984, replacing the legendary Al Jacobs. His first five years were spent as a band director with Lee Leverson at the middle school. Iverson became band director at the high school in the fall of 1989.

This year he’s ready to start a new chapter in his life. Iverson will begin work in February calling on area schools for Schmitt Music which has a branch office in Fargo. However, he’ll be based from his home in Fergus Falls.

Scott Kummrow will assume duties, in early February, formerly held by Iverson.

Band directors Iverson, Kummrow and Denise Wiese took the Fergus Falls High School Marching Band to Seattle last summer to march in the International Lions Parade. They took home a first-place award.

This followed participation by the marching band in President Barack Obama’s Inauguration Parade in January 2009. Before that, the band participated at Lions International parades in Boston (2006) and Chicago (2008).

“We took 120 students to Washington to march in the inaugural parade three years ago,” said Iverson. “It was a really cold day and some of our kids suffered frostbite. But there wasn’t one band member who didn’t finish the entire route. The Ohio State band was right behind us, and some of those band members dropped out of the parade.”

Iverson said he couldn’t have worked with better band directors in recent years than Kummrow and Wiese.

Duties for Iverson included heading the Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band I and Pep Band. His Wind Ensemble twice had the honor of being selected to perform for the Minnesota Music Educator’s Conference in Minneapolis.

Kummrow headed Jazz Band II and the ninth grade band. Wiese and Kummrow directed the middle school bands.

Iverson said he can’t say enough about parental support over the years.

“We’ve had an active Band Booster Club in this community for over 30 years,” he said. “Parental and family support has been nothing short of phenomenal.”

His band members have always been committed musicians, said Iverson.

“They performed when asked, whether it be for Mayor Ferber’s funeral, a ceremony at the veterans home, a welcome home event for troops or something else,” said Iverson.

He recalls the pep band playing at the state boys basketball tournament in 1990 when, with one’s day’s notice, the Fergus band was asked to prepare to play during the Parade of Champions ceremony the following evening.

“I’ll always remember our kids practicing late in the evening in the hotel, at poolside,” said Iverson. “Nobody complained. We did what we had to do and performed the next evening at the St. Paul Civic Center, where the basketball tournament was held.”

Iverson’s personal philosophy is shared through a sign positioned near the entrance to the FFHS band room at Kennedy Secondary School. The sign says, “Don’t be ordinary. Be extraordinary.”

The retiring band director said that FFHS students happily adhered to that philosophy.

Over the years Iverson also has appreciated the support of his family. He and his wife, Bonnie, have three adult children, Kelly, Mandy and Anthony. As of this writing they happily await the birth of their second grandchild.

“I really mean it when I said I’ve been so fortunate to have worked with so many good student musicians over the years,” said Iverson. “I’ll always have many wonderful memories.”