Stu Greenspan

Mr. Stu Greenspan was born and raised in Detroit, and he is a father to a ten-year-old son. From forming his own band to teaching in schools and colleges, he takes the art of music very seriously. He’s currently teaching the guitar and electric bass, also enjoys playing the banjo and dobro, and used to play the violin. He has been at Parker for over 20 years. Mr. Greenspan is fond of the music of Wes Montgomery, Charles Mingus, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and, of course, of The Beatles.

“People sometimes are used to hearing classical music played very quietly and that’s one reason they think it is sort of boring compared to rock or dance music. But the reality is if you’ve ever stood near a full symphony, it’s loud and it’s cool and it fills your head with sound.”

Mr. Greenspan has always enjoyed music. Even before he started playing music, it was a big part of his household. His sister played the piano, so he often heard her practicing around the house. One of Mr. Greenspan's favorite things to do as a child was to go to concerts with his mother and his sibling(s) where he could just listen to the music. Mr. Greenspan teaches classical theory to college students at Columbia College. He’s discovered that the students being taught it are used to classical music being played softly and that they would much rather perform a different genre of music. Because of this, Mr. Greenspan tends to play classical music loudly to intensify the emotion found in the music.

When Mr. Greenspan first studied communications at Northwestern, he couldn’t pay his rent, so he decided to drop out of school. He was having trouble finding work as a musician, so he took a job cutting vegetables at a restaurant. After he had been working for a few years, he started to meet musicians his age that had figured out how they make a living doing what they love. Then it occurred to him that he needed to study more, so he went to a different college to study music. Still, at that time, he didn't think that he would become a teacher. For about ten years, he made his living strictly by performing. He eventually began teaching because, as the music performing market gradually slowed down, the teaching opportunities increased. It was then that he discovered that being a teacher might provide more reliable income than being a performer. Mr. Greenspan ended up making his living by communicating just as he thought he might when he went to college. Northwestern and the American Conservatory of Music both brought him to Chicago. The Conservatory was around for over 100 years, and closed due to bankruptcy just five years after Mr. Greenspan's graduation. Outside of Parker, Mr. Greenspan teaches music classes at Columbia College. He also spends a lot of time grading papers. It’s certainly not his favorite part of the job, but it is part of the responsibilities that come with it.

“I enjoy the classroom teaching very much and the paper grading not so much, but it is part of what you have to do.”

Mr. Greenspan had a friend who taught music here at Parker one day a week and had a few students. After a while he couldn’t do it anymore and he asked Mr. Greenspan to fill in for him. Parker liked him and asked him if he wanted to stay. Now, he’s here five days a week, with a lot more than just a few students. The same thing happened when he got an opportunity at Columbia College. At the last minute, somebody needed a substitute teacher, so he filled in and they liked him and asked him to stay.

“. . . And so I’m quite fortunate because as the performing opportunities went down, the teaching opportunities went up.”

As the 1990s approached, the music business was booming and Mr. Greenspan was playing private parties, night clubs and festivals during the week. During the weekends he would put on a tuxedo and play some corporate parties. “And that is where the money was.”

But during the '90s a new opportunity in music emerged: disc jockeys. After they became popular, the performing opportunities became scarcer, so when Mr. Greenspan got the job at both schools it was the perfect time to switch from performer to teacher.

One of Mr. Greenspan's favorite memories of performing was when he was part of a band led by a musician from Kingston, Jamaica. In this band they played reggae and calypso music. Another favorite memory was when his band opened up for a musician from Africa, Fela Kuti, who had only come to Chicago three or four times ever. After they opened up for him, Mr. Greenspan and his band felt honored because they got to stay backstage and hang with out with Fela Kuti’s dancers and singers.

Mr. Greenspan also inspired a few Parker students to pursue music as a job themselves. They include Julian Chin, Matt Carroll, and Benji Daniels. Chin plays piano, Carroll is a drummer who attended Jazz Band, and Daniels is finishing up his degree at Berklee College of Music, studying electric bass.

Students sign up for weekly lessons and Mr. Greenspan has usually between fifteen to twenty students. He usually has to switch his private lesson schedule around due to extracurricular activities, but more or less his weekly work schedule is the same. He is at Parker five days a week and comes in around 12:30 in the afternoon.

According to Mr. Greenspan one of the pros of his job is the fixed income. A lot of musicians are working many jobs not involving music because they need income to support themselves and their families. Mr. Greenspan considers himself lucky to have a stable income and to get it working a job of his choice. His least favorite part of his job at Colombia is following the strict curriculum. The fact that he doesn’t have to follow a rigid curriculum at Parker is something that Mr. Greenspan truly enjoys.

From cutting vegetables to pay the bills, to teaching at Columbia College, Mr. Greenspan has had many different experiences in various situations. His life as a musician has been difficult but rewarding. His long, extraordinary journey has led him eventually to jobs teaching music at Parker and at Columbia College. When asked where he would want to be in 10 years, Mr. Greenspan said he wishes to be nowhere else but here at Parker and at Columbia College teaching and doing what he loves until he retires.