Personality Profile: Tom Renner, In the Business of Making Humans

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23 October 2010

Group #2

Tom Renner:

In the Business of Making Humans

By Alexandra Slavas

Imagine having the ability to connect with individuals on such a personal and emotional level. Envision getting closer to a student than any other teacher has gotten before, and through music, creating that connection that defines the epitome of humanity. Long hard weeks of practice aimed at perfecting sound from every angle. A standing ovation concludes this long arduous process. A standing ovation that symbolizes everything Tom Renner lives for. The gratifying feeling of seeing those proud faces overcome with emotion. This is what Tom Renner’s shoes feel like.

Instrumentals, composition, jazz, and large vocal ensembles are areas Renner has musical expertise in, just to name a few. As a Performing Arts Coordinator and music teacher for Tracy High School, Renner claims his experiences placed him into a position he was destined to be in, although there was never a moment he envisioned being a teacher.

“Teaching fell into place as the perfect solution,” Renner says. At 34 years old, his journey through life includes graduating at 19, where he realized his goals differed from the average college student. Renner expresses his dislike he had with school, but knows it was all he was ready for at the time. He then took a tangent into the military and couldn’t be more dignified.

“I am very proud to have been a cadet. This was the point at which I learned where my future was best to be played out,” says Renner. Living without a single regret, he decided to pursue his musical dreams selflessly.

“I learned I had a desire to interact with people at different levels. I viewed teaching as the product of the desire to want to work with people and a means to continue my professional life,” Renner says.

Arms embellished in tattoos, Renner insists that his tattoos be perceived in a literal sense as “body art.”

“I am putting meaningful art on my body…personal artistic messages that mark personal growth,” says Renner. A thick line traces one side of his body, from his shoulder to his ankle. Renner claims the meaning of this art to be a line in his life, to mark the turning point at which he trusted his self to gain ownership of experiences. Clearly, this is not your typical music teacher.

Having such a prominent role in leading other individuals into exploring the realms of musical knowledge and expression, Renner views his position quite differently.

“It’s not about me!” Renner exclaims, as he states the importance of keeping it more about the art, less about the fame.

“We’ve become lost in these smug concepts. We’ve missed the point. It is not about the ego, or about being in such a position of superiority. We need to keep it about the art. We have a salient purpose to communicate art.”

Pushing his selflessness to new boundaries, he says he would be fine if his name was left off a performance program entirely. He claims the connection to be the only thing that is meaningful.

“I’m teaching humans to be human,” says Renner. “I was gifted with a keen visceral awareness to how to respond to music. The process of being involved in music is so meaningful on an emotional level…I wanted to connect with that same thing in others,” he claims. Humanity is defined by its expressive and creative abilities. Renner lives to preserve this.

Mike Costa, another music teacher at Tracy High, says the most unique trait of Renner’s is his “ability to bridge the gap between students and professionals.” Costa says, “Renner has so many qualities, but one that stands out to me is his charisma. His magnetic personality is very rare.”

Renner describes his day as “12 hours of non-stop running.” His job puts him in a position that requires every minute to be tailored around catering to the unique needs of different students. Regardless of the activity, Renner places an emphasis on connection.

“We’ve become a family. They’re being taught a way of life,” Renner says.

In contrast with the other school curriculum, Renner states that students in music class are “emotionally motivated to be involved in the program.” He also compares this same sense of ownership and pride with that of a sports team. “These students invest themselves emotionally, and only want to do it if they emotionally driven to do so.”

Renner claims that the fact that music classes serve as a medium to connect with others, is what distinguishes it from other core curriculum.

“The lines are blurring a bit between the director, performer and audience. It’s not as defined as that between a math teacher and student…it’s very objective,” he states.

Renner also addresses the current issue of music programs amidst the budget crisis. When asked why school officials don’t view music in the same respect he does, Renner replies, “because it is not backed up with quantified scores. But this is what keeps us from become such a fixed, uniform society of robots. Music gives us a reason to use information, unlike computers, which just spew it back out.”

Clearly, our world needs more teachers like Tom Renner. He is, after all, in the business of keeping humanity alive.