Bruce Corrigan attributes his success to his co-workers.
He was the second of three Bowling Green teachers honored this month with an Inspirational Educator Award
presented by the Bowling Green Kiwanis Club.
Corrigan represents the middle school. Jessica Swonger was honored last week for her work at the
elementary level and Jenny Dever will be recognized next week for her work at the high school.
“It could have gone to many of our teachers,” Corrigan said about the award. “It is nice to receive but
it is nice to be part of the staff.”
Corrigan is in his 31st year teaching, 27 of which have been in Bowling Green.
He is the band director, teaching 410 students in the middle school and high school.
He holds bachelor and master degrees from Indiana University.
“It is time consuming but it is my passion,” he said after many of the Kiwanis members at Thursday’s
ceremony commented on seeing his car in the high school parking lot early in the morning and late in the
evening.
He also has taught at Conneaut Elementary and the former junior high school.
He thinks he was inspired to be a teacher when he got lost at Kmart at age 3 and told the staff member
his name was Mr. Corrigan. “There is Mr. Corrigan who has lost his mother” came across the PA system and
he thinks that foreshadowed his profession.
“Music is a passion of mine,” he said.
He is a member of Phi Beta Mu, the American School Band Directors Association, the Percussive Arts
Society, and the Ohio Music Educators Association, and has served as board member for the MidAmerican
Center for Contemporary Music and as assistant conductor of the BG Area Community Band.
In addition to conducting, he composes music. Of note is his work with sixth-grade beginner band members.
He has them create a melody and he then arranges all of them into music that they then play.
He pointed out it is a creative project for kids that get lost in testing.
“He puts his heart into it,” said Kiwanis member Andrew Kalmar.
Corrigan said one of his toughest moments as a teacher happened in fall 2015 when a high school student
was killed in a car crash. He found out at 4:30 on a Friday afternoon and knew the band could not
perform the planned pirate show at that night’s football game.
“It was very emotional,” he said, choking up at the memory.
But the students rallied, copied new music, and the band performed “I Dreamed a Dream” and “Hallelujah.”
“Those kids came together to make that show happen,” he praised.
“So many times teaching is more about the person than what they learn.”
“I have a son who is a lot better because of you,” agreed Kiwanis President Rebecca Ferguson.
His passion for music is contagious. Not only do his students feel his influence, he has also passed his
love of music and teaching to his children. His daughter Megan and her husband are both band directors;
his son Craig is an elementary teacher; and son Luke is a sophomore at Bowling Green State University.
Corrigan pointed out that music students — who have to concentrate on so much in a second, including
finger position, posture, pitch and tonguing — tend to do better on ACT and SAT scores. The brain stays
active when playing music, he explained.
This is the fourth year for the awards, which are supported by schools’ PTOs, the chamber of commerce,
Downtown Bowling Green, The Copy Shop, and Bowling Green City Schools. Each honoree receives a monetary
award and will be recognized on a plaque on permanent display in children’s library of the Wood County
District Public Library.
