About Me

My name is Michael Block, and I am a 37-year-old music teacher living in Chicago, IL, in the Irving Park neighborhood.

I grew up in Woodridge, IL, with my parents, Diana and Terry, and my two younger brothers, Jim and Ryan.

At a very young age, I became interested in music. I guess you could say I come from a musical family. My grandmother was a singer and pianist, and several of my uncles play instruments as well. My grandmother started teaching me piano when I was 9 years old.

I joined the school concert band at the first opportunity, in 5th grade. I chose to play the saxophone because the Jefferson Jr. High Band Director, Mr. Carlson, was a great saxophonist.

After Jefferson, I attended Downers Grove South High School, where I was very active in the DGS music program. I played and studied in the Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, Marching Band, Theater Pit Orchestra, Music Composition, and Music Theory. In my free time, I played the drum set in rock-and-roll bands out of my friends' basements and garages.

I decided to go to college for music. After auditioning and receiving a scholarship, I began studying music education full-time at Eastern Illinois University. After sitting in on a jazz master class, I decided to add a second major, Music Performance: Jazz Studies. While at EIU, I performed with the wind ensemble, Panther Marching Band, jazz ensemble, and jazz combos. I studied saxophone with Dr. Sam Fagaly, jazz theory and improvisation with Paul Johnston, and jazz arranging with the great Al Horney. During my free time, I started a cover band with fellow jazz majors and played gigs on the weekends.

After I graduated from EIU, I student-taught with the band programs at Scott and Riverwoods elementary schools under cooperating teacher Scott Silder. I then taught concert band and jazz band at Romeoville High School with cooperating teacher Rich Anderson.

My first paid teaching job was at Benet Academy in Lisle, IL, where I was the Assistant Band Director and Director of Jazz Bands. At Benet, I assisted director Rich Alifantis with the Redwing Marching Band and the concert bands, and I directed the jazz lab band, jazz ensemble, and jazz combo.

After Benet Academy, I moved to Chicago and began teaching General Music and Orchestra at John Spry Elementary School. This was a challenge at first because I had never worked in a Title I school, never taught orchestra or general music, and many of the parents only spoke Spanish. Over time, I learned to play, teach, and fix the string orchestra instruments. I introduced new curriculum packs for my general music classes and wrote grants for instruments and materials, including a set of 35 guitars and over 20 keyboards. I also formed a fruitful partnership with the DePaul University Community Division, which generously provided us with new string instruments, a supply budget, and free private lessons year after year! I even brushed up on my Spanish to communicate and coordinate with parents. They were so grateful that, in 2017, many of them nominated me for the "Grammy Music Educator Award."

From 2016 to 2020, I directed the Chicago Public Schools All-City Performing Arts High School Jazz Band. All-City is an audition-only performing arts program offered to Chicago music students. During my tenure at All-City, jazz band enrollment and attendance increased. My students performed jazz at a high level for All-City concerts and also for private, professional-level engagements. Notable student performances included Fitz's Spare Keys, the McCormick Place Hyatt Regency Hotel, and the Harris Theater!

I am currently teaching at Jones College Prep, a selective-enrollment high school in the South Loop neighborhood of Chicago. Jones boasts a modern high-rise campus with a diverse student body, drawing the brightest students from all parts of the city. At Jones, I revitalized and modernized the band program by writing grants for new equipment and adding a pep band. During the school day, I teach Concert Band, Marching Band, Beginning Band, Jazz Band, and Guitar! Highlights from last school year include a Jazz Band performance at the Chicago Jazz Festival and a highly successful Concert Band trip and performance in Hollywood, California!

As a music educator, it has been my mission to share the joy and excitement of music with my students. Through learning, synthesizing, exploring, and performing, my students learn the value of hard work and cooperation. I believe that music and the arts, in general, provide students with the necessary tools to become critical thinkers and lifelong learners.