By Jon Chown
SOQUEL — After decades in the classroom, longtime band director Jim Stewart is retiring from Soquel High School, closing a career that helped shape generations of musicians in Santa Cruz County.
Stewart, who graduated from Soquel High School himself in 1982, returned to teach at his alma mater in the 1996 to lead its instrumental music program. At the time, the band program was relatively small. As time went by, it not only grew in size, but in renown. Every year the Soquel High bands travel to Anaheim and seem to win something at the The WorldStrides Heritage Music Festival in Anaheim, where school bands from all over the nation gather to compete.
This year was another great year for Soquel High, as the Concert Band, Varsity Band and Jazz Band all took first place. It’s a sweep that Stewart said seems to happen about every four years. “There’s definitely some musical stuff happening in Santa Cruz,” he said.
It was a great year for the bands, and the Soquel High Jazz Band in particular, which also got a command performance at the Santa Cruz Jazz Festival earlier this year in March. “That was pretty special,” he said.
Before taking over at Soquel High, Stewart taught at other local campuses for about four years. He said teaching at his alma mater was his dream. His wife graduated two years behind him and his children also attended the school.
Even after retirement, Stewart said he will continue to teach music. Right now, though, he needs to have time to take care of his aging mother. “That’s really the impetus for me retiring,” he said.
But with only about 20 school days left before retirement, Stewart said he is looking forward to the freedom.
“My golf handicap is going to go down and I’m going to surf when the wind is right. I’m really looking forward to not having a small window to surf,” he said.