Hoping to make an influence on aspiring music teachers, Instructor of Clarinet and Assistant Director of Bands Victor Drescher began teaching for the university in 2013.

Drescher used his passion for the clarinet and pursued a career in music education with a desire to help his students increase their musical abilities.

“Like many people who become teachers, I wanted to impact lives in a positive way,” said Drescher. “Many people that were in a music program in high school will tell you how much they learned not just about music but about life from participating in those programs, and I wanted to be able to provide that experience to others.”

Drescher earned two bachelor’s degrees in music performance and music education and a master’s degree from Louisiana State University. After serving two years as the graduate teaching assistant, he became the Assistant Director of Bands at East Ascension High School where he worked for five years.

Wanting to impact future music instructors more directly, Drescher took the position at the university but noted that the teaching style was a considerable shift from the high school setting.

“In the high school group at East Ascension where I directed, we had between 150-175 members in the band and I got to impact those students directly,” said Drescher. “The dynamic is very different between high school and college. You deal with so many extra issues in a high school setting: classroom management, parent meetings, teenager drama, and on and on. It’s nice to not have some of those things to worry about as a college instructor and be able to work with students who are usually more self-motivated because they are looking ahead to their careers with your guidance.”

Drescher believes his teaching experience gives him an advantage when it comes to sharing helpful tips with his students.

“Many music professors go straight from graduate school into college teaching without having the experience of leading a high school band,” said Drescher. “Since I’ve done all of those things, I try to share what I’ve learned from those experiences with future teachers to help them in their own careers.”

As an educator, Drescher constantly looks for ways to improve his awareness of music and learning in general.

“I think one of my biggest strengths is that I’m aware of how much more there is for me to learn,” said Drescher. “I am constantly talking to experts who know more and who are better than me at various aspects of music. I read as much as time allows about a wide variety of subjects – not just music.”

In addition to teaching clarinet, Drescher also performs as a soloist, orchestral musician and chamber musician. According to Drescher, he had the unique opportunities to appear as a guest soloist in Carnegie Hall at Texas A&M Commerce, perform with several different symphony orchestras across the South and play the House of Blues in New Orleans .

“I love having the opportunity to take music and make those feelings and emotions come to life for myself and hopefully for the audience,” said Drescher.

Drescher shared his proudest part about teaching.

“The real successes happen a few times a year when a student who has been working hard and practicing daily for hours has a breakthrough in their playing,” said Drescher. “I get to see the immense feeling of joy and pride on their face knowing that their hard work paid off.”