LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Bryan Miller was nominated by his colleague, Stacy Cunningham. Please CLICK HERE for a better format. 

"When I think about a Life Changer in the Leyden community, I think of Bryan Miller. Mr. Miller has been a leader and advocate for our students in the Leyden community for nearly 30 years. He created a music department family, a family who stands by each other, celebrates the best parts of life, and lifts and supports each other with any lows," said Cunningham.

Mr. Miller is a lifelong learner who will never stop becoming the best version of himself, making him one of the most inspirational teachers among us. His consistent efforts in and out of the classroom have helped to create a culture of excellence within the Leyden Music Department and all his musical and life pursuits. His commitment to creating quality opportunities for his students and colleagues is unwavering. The connections he creates with every person he meets are genuine. His artistry as both a conductor and musician, integrity, and humility make him a living example to his students of all ages. 

Mr. Miller makes everyone feel welcome in every situation. Whether he is welcoming current students in for class that day, an alumni group who is taking a building tour from the class of 1960, a retiree from any department, future students and families, a passerby, or a group of students he will get to meet and work with for a day, Mr. Miller is the guy who makes you feel like you are where you belong. His kindness is enough to change the life of anyone who meets him.

"I reaped the benefits of this when he made me feel like I was a part of the team from day one. He has done everything he can to support me and allow me room to grow and blossom throughout our time together. Because of this sense of belonging and encouragement to spread my light, my chapter on Mr. Miller’s team has been filled with growth, development, and meaningful opportunities to create and share the live art we make with our students. I am honored to be on his team and blessed to have been mentored by him for the past two decades," said Cunningham.

A dedicated career music educator, Mr Miller has served as chair for the national award-winning Leyden High School music department since 1994. Thousands of students have been positively impacted by his visionary programs, musicianship, warmth--and humor! 

Some of the exceptional experiences students have enjoyed under his leadership include:

National Awards

Music for All: LHS Music Department was named the 2020 National Gold Award Winner (singular) for Community Engagement, Annual Community Veterans Day Ceremony

Music for All: LHS Music Department was named a 2023 National Award Winner (one of two recognized HS programs) for Community Engagement, their Tribute to the USO Big Band Show

Downbeat Awards: LHS Vocal Jazz Ensemble has won a historic four consecutive Downbeat Awards under Ms. Cunningham’s fantastic leadership

State Recognition

ILMEA: LHS Music Department’s Bands, Jazz Bands, and Jazz Choirs have received invitations to perform and present at IMEC on multiple occasions

Program Innovations

Symphonic Band

He envisioned the district’s 0-1 Symphonic Band program 30 years ago, creating the opportunity to aggregate the most accomplished wind and percussion students together in the same ensemble for the first time in the district’s (then 70-year) history. Combining wind and percussion raised the quality of the instrumentation and, subsequently, the literature that nearly 1,000 ensuing students could successfully experience. This group has represented the school and community in countless performances.

Mr. Miller always encourages students to find ways to use their musical gifts and passion for meaningful causes. When a very active band parent volunteer passed away just before the Symphonic Band’s performance at the 2016 Illinois Music Education Conference, Mr. Miller dedicated the band’s performance of Rosanno Galante’s “Afterlife” as a memorial to the parent as a way for our students to be empowered by using their music to help bring comfort and support to their classmate and his family.

The cumulative time he invested in teaching the 0-hour portion of this class equals donating almost an additional four entire school years’ worth of teaching hours!

Marching Band

He designed a voluntary summer school marching band class that meets on selected summer evenings so students could still schedule daytime summer school courses needed to fit music classes into their school year schedule. Amazingly, this non-competitive summer program grew to serve approximately 225 students, more than all but two Illinois state university marching bands! The program became so popular that a significant number of orchestra and choir students also joined to be part of this community of students.

In addition to keeping students musically and socially engaged all year long, this program also moved the daily class marching band rehearsals out of the traditional first-quarter school year placement. This schedule change gives students a cumulative extra year of Concert Band ensemble training by the time they graduate and creates fall semester scheduling freedom for students to also participate in sports, drama, cheer/pom, etc. He even presented as part of an IMEC panel on this subject.

This group is a musical ambassador in the community and beyond, performing annually for Veterans Homes, community parades, and civic events such as the grand opening of the Rockettes performing at the Rosemont Theatre. 

When one of the senior drum majors’ father suffered a catastrophic medical event and was no longer mobile enough to see his three children perform, Mr. Miller arranged for the marching band to perform on the family’s (and a bunch of their neighbors’) front lawns. This shared experience's impact on galvanizing the band’s sense of community and empowering the kids’ understanding of the power of their gifts was profound.

Standout Music Department Experiences

Symphony Center Performance

"None of our partner schools are part of our school district. However, in response to the devastating impact the pandemic had on our partner schools’ music student numbers, Bryan invited all of our partner schools to participate in a Chicago Symphony Center performance with our entire LHS Music Department. He created Honor Band and Honor Choir opportunities for our partner school students, directly involving their directors so they could experience the professional career opportunity of conducting in Symphony Center. He also made sure that his predecessor, Hank Hiorns (who served for 29 years as Leyden’s third Director of Bands), was invited as a guest conductor because it was essential to Bryan that Hank (now in his 80s) had the opportunity to conduct in Symphony Center during his distinguished career," said Cunningham.

Honoring Home Town Heroes 

He wrote an original musical revue for band, choir, and orchestra students to engage in the excellent period music associated with World War II and the Greatest Generation. “The USO Big Band Show” provided opportunities for all music groups/students to perform, regardless of age, ability, or experience. It brought the music department together. It also incorporated the local American Legion and VFW and seven additional school departments’ contributions. The USO Midwest Region President even spoke at the performance. Several local World War II veterans attended and were meaningfully honored with a standing ovation from a packed theater!  

The “Annual Community Veterans Day Ceremony” he created has become a staple in the community. It honors and involves veterans, first responders, and community leaders, teaching students invaluable civics and service lessons. Both projects received Music for All’s Best Community Engagement Project National Awards!

To honor the community’s long and proud military legacy in an ongoing and high-visibility environment, Mr. Miller has meaningfully honored local hometown heroes at each varsity football home game before performing the Star Spangled Banner for decades. During this time, hundreds of veterans, first responders, and community leaders have been recognized. Many of the honorees have been school alumni or family members of students, serving as role models to inspire the best in the students and community.

Music as an Opportunity for Travel and Growth

Students under his leadership have also benefited from participating in numerous university/festival events and receiving clinics from many master teachers in the field. These include the Midwest Music Festival, University of Illinois, University of Notre Dame, Northern Illinois University, Illinois State University, VanderCook College, Wheaton College, Elmhurst College Jazz Fest, Naperville Big Band Jazz Festival, and IHSA State Organizational Contest. For most students, these have been their first university visits. More importantly, these experiences help students see themselves as possibly attending college!

Mr. Miller grew up without means, and music groups provided his first opportunity to see our nation’s capitol, the ocean, Disney World, Europe, and later Asia and Africa with the Air Force Bands Program. Consequently, he profoundly believes in the powerful experiences and friendships forged through music group tours. He has taken students on performance tours to Disney World, Cedar Point, Washington D.C., and Europe.

If you add up all the days Mr. Miller has spent outside of school on performance tours with his students throughout his career, they total more than two entire school years! He continuously seeks ways to expand students’ music opportunities and experiences. He tells his students, “You never know where your music can take you!”

"Mr. Miller is most deserving of this award because he changes the lives of everyone he meets for the better. The degree of excellence Mr. Miller brings to the Leyden music department is legendary. Whether on the field, at the podium, in the pit, or behind a music stand, Mr. Miller never misses an opportunity to create a meaningful connection with those around him. Because of his boundless commitment to students in and out of the classroom, many of his students have continued in music, either as a career or a life-long passion. Through his vision, his students, colleagues, and Leyden community members have had unique adventures that might not have otherwise happened, all the while creating core memories that are reminisced upon during any reunion. His desire to see his students, colleagues, and alumni succeed is genuine and never-ending. He is a person of integrity who always does the right thing to support those around him. As an administrator, he has tirelessly advocated for music education through the many shifts in educational practices. He leads with compassion and humility, wanting everyone to find success, from the brand new student to the seasoned teacher," said Cunningham.