By JONATHAN SNYDER
Twenty-six years and many band camps and events later, Bluffton-Harrison band director Jim Bueter decided to slow down a bit.
Bueter started working with different music groups a year out of high school. Originally, he worked through a couple of rehearsals, then working on marching technique with the bands. Eventually, Bueter’s desire snowballed into a need to instruct bands full-time.
Bueter got his start in Fort Wayne, earning his bachelor’s degree in instrumental music education in 1992 from Indiana University at Fort Wayne. His first full-time teaching position was at Tippecanoe Valley High School in Akron, Indiana. He got a recommendation for the Bluffton job from a college friend living in the area.
In the years Bueter has taught, his students have criss-crossed the globe, heading to Hawaii, Florida, Tennessee and the Bahamas. His fondest memory came in 2004, when one of his groups made the state finals for marching band, Bluffton’s first state final appearance in 18 years.
“I didn’t get them there. They’re the ones that accomplished it,” Bueter said. “So that was just a humongous accomplishment that I will never forget.”
While Bueter had immense knowledge of music, some of his most notable actions came from the visual elements he incorporated into his concerts. Bueter’s mastery of logistics and vision for concert themes proved Bueter’s skills, according to Art Teacher Vicki VanMatre.
“Everything working together — that itself is a fine art,” VanMatre said. “You have to have the knowledge not only in music, but you have to understand the themes of everything and how it all works together, and I think that’s what makes Jim very knowledgeable.”
Bueter’s dedication to performance also made him stand out. Bluffton swim coach Justin Uptgraft recalled a story of Bueter driving out to the east coast to pick up a prop for one of his shows.
“(It was) somewhere in New York, Virginia, somewhere around there. He had this vision of how this show should go. And he thought, ‘Man, I really need this,’” Uptgraft said. “I want to say it was like a clock, I’m not 100% sure … But just to hear his excitement from ‘I really want this for the show,’ and then seeing … that he took a weekend to go get it, brought it back, and then use it in the show is just incredible.”
Bueter’s bond with both middle school and high school band students is another example of his dedication to students, Uptgraft said. Bueter stuck with his students through highs and lows, teaching them all the way.
“He talks to fourth graders before they come to the middle school, tries to see what instruments they’re kind of leaning towards and promotes the program,” Uptgraft said. “And then when they finally get here in middle school (going from) not knowing how to put their instruments together to graduating and going on to college and playing some of these instruments in the college realm — that’s all him, that’s all Bueter. So it takes a lot of dedication, a lot of time and energy and thought process. He’s clearly got it down to a science.”
Bueter’s dedication spread beyond Bluffton Schools, it has also extended to the community. VanMatre noted Bueter’s work with the On The Banks of the Wabash Festival, along with various Veteran’s Day and Bluffton Free Street Fair performances, as a critical part of his ability to inspire students.
“I just know he interacts with the community and does some things to help them out as well as he does the school,” VanMatre said. “And I think that’s not only good for our community, but it’s good for the students to see how Jim wants to give back to the community. So the students see that and they follow his example.”
While Bueter has the knowledge and the dedication, he also carries an innate ability to inspire his students while keeping the classroom atmosphere light and fun. Senior Kristopher Cortez, who has been taught by Bueter since sixth grade, said Bueter gets along with the kids’ sense of humor.
“We pick on him, he picks on us back … that’s how it is,” Cortez joked. “It’s more of like a big family, after spending all this time with him in school and then marching band and everything (else).”
Senior Elijah Spencer echoed Cortez’s statements. Spencer said that students would invite Bueter into conversations, where he would always find something witty to say and make his students laugh. Spencer, however, also praised Bueter’s ability to keep his students engaged and jovial during lessons.
“He’s very good at having a serious practice, while also being able to joke here and there and make sure the students are still having fun and enjoying themselves,” Spencer said. “It’s not just work, work, work … It’s not all like a serious competition every day. We’re making music and we’re making ourselves better, but we’re also having fun doing it. So I really like that sort of classroom environment.”
Cortez and Spencer alike are heading to music school, with Bueter giving advice on what’s expected of them there.
“He has been pretty active in seeing where I’m going,” Spencer said. “He’s been very, very supportive throughout the whole thing. He’s really helped me with his experience in school, telling me what the process is exactly on what it takes to be a band director in his position.”
Whether it is a piece of advice, an example of his dedication or a memory of his personality, Bueter has had an impact on students and teachers alike.
“One thing that I struggle with is I always think I need to be perfect every time, that’s just (not) how music is meant to be,” Cortez said. “If I’m trying too hard to be perfect. I’m not going to get remotely close to being perfect versus accepting where I’m at and try to improve off of that. I will get closer.”
“It’s tough because he is somebody who’s been here almost as long as I have,” VanMatre said. “To not see him in the hallways and not see him at lunch, because he’s there at lunch, you know, just to have those conversations that we have in the afternoon because that’s when he’s over here. I’ll miss those.”
“He’s a great dude. Always can make me laugh,” Uptgraft said. “Even just when things are not going my way. I know if I go to Bueter, he’s got something to say and it’s always good.”
As for Bueter, he’s ready to slow down. Amidst his emotional retirement, he still sees the students as the hallmark of Bluffton schools. Bueter will still be joyful, never forgetting the importance of being a kid at heart.
“Acting like a kid. It’s very important, that’s part of the fun side,” Bueter said. “You have to have fun and enjoy the kids. The students, ultimately, are what the special part of Bluffton is. I don’t see our program as being Jim Bueter. I see our program as being (about) the kids. They’re the ones that create the performances. They’re the ones that create the memories. I just try and lead them down the right path.”
jonathan@news-banner.com
