It’s time for another Alumni Spotlight! Today we’re excited to highlight Derek Condo, Class of 2009! Check out his story below.
Q: What year did you graduate from Massillon Washington High School?
A: Class of ‘09
Q: What activities, clubs, or sports were you involved in during your time at WHS?
A: Massillon Tiger Swing Band, Washingtonians, Wind Orchestra, Advanced Choir, Winter Musicals, Jazz Orchestra, Men’s Chorus, Music Theory, Music History, International Thespian Society, Outstanding Senior Boy nominee, BGSU Honor Band Participant
Q: What is one of your favorite memories from your high school years?
A: One of my favorite memories in school was when I had the opportunity to be a Senior Show director. The idea came from Chris Smith and continued into my high school years. Each year, four or five individuals would be selected by the Tiger Swing Band to become a Senior Show director. Those students would put together an entire half-time show for the Tiger Swing Band to perform. I had the opportunity to rehearse music with the band as well as write and teach the drill to the band, and it definitely solidified the possibility in my mind that I could do what my band directors were doing some day as a professional educator. It was a lot of fun!
Q: What have you gone on to achieve since graduation?
A: Since high school, I have done much! I went to Ohio University and became a member of the Marching 110 as well as the Singing Men of Ohio while I was studying to become a music educator (Go Bobcats!). After college, I accepted a job with the Union Scioto Local School District in Chillicothe, OH as the band director for grades 5 – 12 (Go Tanks!). After COVID, I went on to pursue a Masters in Music Education at Bowling Green State University (Go Falcons!) where I was awarded an internship to serve as the band director for All Saints Catholic School in Rossford, OH (again… Go Falcons!). It has always been my inclination to come back and teach at Massillon, and I was given that opportunity in 2023 when I accepted the position of music teacher at Gorrell Elementary (Go Gorillas!). I am also the organist and choir accompanist for the First United Methodist Church on 3rd Street. After the consolidation of the elementary schools, I am now a music teacher for both East and West Elementary Schools, and I am (once again) a proud resident of Massillon! GO TIGERS!
Q: What accomplishment are you most proud of?
A: The accomplishment that I am most proud of are the countless connections that I have made across the state of Ohio with music educators from every discipline. I have many musical friends and acquaintances that have been an unparalleled source of information and help in my career. This cultivated in the opportunity of a lifetime when I participated as a former band director in the “Band Director’s Marching Band”. My first performance with the group was in the 2023 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, in which I marched with two of my best friends from Chillicothe and a little over 400 musicians from across the United States (and some from Mexico). This year, I will be marching with the group once again, and working with some of the best educators around the country, as we prepare to perform in the 2026 Tournament of Roses Parade.
I am also proud of the many former students of mine that have gone on to continue their involvement in music in some way. Some of my former students include: a band director from Capital University; a professional piano tuner from Cleveland State University; 3 members of the Ohio State University Marching Band; a former member of the University of Cincinnati’s Bearcat Marching Band; two students studying music education at Wright State University; and countless others that have never gone on to pursue a career in music, but choose to perform in various community bands and choirs wherever they live.
Q: How did your time at Massillon help prepare you for life after high school?
A: Growing up in Massillon taught me many lessons, but if I had to narrow it down to three, it would be these:
“If it is to be, it is up to me”; these are the words that Loren Veigel used to instill an understanding of our task in the Massillon Choir Program. Much of my teaching philosophy comes from these ten words, and it is important for students to remember that education is not a “spectator’s sport”. If you are truly interested in something, it is important to learn how to find the tools necessary for you to cultivate a better understanding for yourself.
Grit: no matter what you want in life, inevitably, there will be obstacles in your way. That does not necessarily mean that they are great challenges that required much time to solve, but rather a savoy in negotiating and maneuvering your way through “hoops” in order to get that thing that you want. As the “philosopher” Mick Jagger once mused: “You can’t always get what you want; but if you try sometimes, you’ll find you get what you need.”
Meditate: take some time for yourself. Our lives are becoming increasingly more complicated and involved in things such as our community, our families, our friends, and our country’s well-being. At the end of the day, it is important to find your moment of “zen”. Do that thing you love to do to pass the time in a healthy and constructive manner. My “zen” comes in the form of gardening, arranging music for various performing groups, and playing my instruments (piano and trombone) for fun.
Q: What advice would you give to current Tigers?
A: I am not sure that I am in a position to give advice to the students, as my life has not completely turned out the way I had envisioned when I was in high school. That does not mean that I am regretful, but it does means that I am currently living in a manner to which I could not conceive as a teenager.
I left WHS with a vivid, yet rigid idea of what I was going to with myself in my profession and in my personal life. That adolescent vision has not exactly been realized; there is much that I still hope to be able to achieve. Many leave high school not exactly sure what they want to do, and that is not necessarily a detriment. Now that I am an adult, I wish I could have been more open to the possibilities of my future. I could say something about “expecting the unexpected”, but much (if not all) of my life is a result of the choices that I have made so far in my professional career.
The best advice I can offer is from the musical “Auntie Mame”. Auntie Mame says “Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!” It’s all there for your consumption; you can take as much or as little as you want. The question is whether YOU make the choice or wait for others to persuade you. If you wait, you may find that what you wanted is no longer offered at the buffet.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share with fellow alumni?
A: I’d like to thank all the teachers that inspired me to do what I am currently doing, as well as the administrators for letting me educate students about something that has had much meaning for me in my life. Finally, I want to thank my family and friends for keeping me grounded and for being a much needed source of inspiration and companionship. Also, I don’t think I can say this enough, but… GO TIGERS!!!
Let’s give a big Tiger shoutout to Derek!