“Doing what you love won’t feel like work.” A quote that immediately clicked with young Eric as he sat, listening to the career counselor that had come to speak to his seventh grade class.
Though Band Director Eric Rath’s band experience in Tulsa, Oklahoma wasn’t the greatest, the support he received from his parents and percussion teacher helped him jump off the deep end and onto a path that would eventually lead Rath to be selected as Canyon High School’s teacher of the year for 2025-2026.
Rath has been teaching for 25 years since graduating from West Texas A&M University, six of those years spent teaching as the Canyon Junior High’s band director. He now
teaches at CHS, but still goes back and forth between CJHS, CHS and Canyon Intermediate. Rath said his favorite class to teach is the beginner sixth grade percussionists.
“There are things that I think are more obviously near and dear to my heart,” Rath said. “For instance, I’m a percussionist, so when I get to teach beginning percussion as my last class of the day, that is a lot of fun. I try desperately to make sure that their experiences are as good as possible, just because mine was not super great; but I loved every minute of it.”
Freshman percussionist Jet Delaney is one of the students Rath taught in the sixth grade. He said he was encouraged by Rath to continue the band experience throughout high school.
“Having him in high school now is a big difference,” Delany said. “In sixth grade, you’re getting to know him and seeing who he really is. Then in high school, it’s just a whole another game with him. He’s such a great teacher, I’ve really appreciated having him.”
Part of being a great teacher is through a good attitude, and Mr. Rath brings just that — bringing kindness and respect to the bandhall and all of their competitions.
“He’s really adamant about kindness,” junior drum major Max Bliss said. “Not only among the band, but to other bands as well. Because you know the rivalry between Canyon and West Plains; he wants us to be nothing but respectful and kind to all the other schools, and I think that’s kind of translated to the band itself.”
Not only does Rath teach his students about showing kindness, but also teaches valuable life lessons.
“He’s taught me a lot about leadership,” senior drum major Miley Bell said. “Rath gives you a lot of words of wisdom. He’s very smart and he has a lot of good things to say and he gives you life lessons. And that is also where that ‘father figure’ kind of comes from, he gives not just me, but the entire band, life lessons.”
Though he’s a father figure to his students, he also has to manage being a father and director to his own children in the band program.
“It’s been one of the great joys of my career, and it’s only been in the last six years that I’ve taught my kids,” Rath said. “Most of my career has been prior to my own kids being old enough to be in the band program, but it has been an absolute joy.”
Rath struggles to keep the balance between home and work, but his passion and drive are an inspiration to his daughter, sophomore McKinley Rath.
“He cares and is really passionate,” McKinely said. “Seeing how passionate he is and how he makes band is just a positive experience for everyone. I’ll see his old students, and they always talk about how much of an impact he has on their life. And so that just shows me, at the end of the day, how much of a great band director he is.”
McKinley said Teacher of the Year may be a surprise to most teachers who receive the award, but with Rath’s positive attitude, leadership, and kindness, it was no surprise he got selected.
“It’s easy to look at Teacher of the Year and just think it’s about this singular person in the one subject,” Rath said. “But for me, it’s more emblematic of acceptance and respect, and it honors what we do, as bands, choir, art and theater. So it feels like a win for anybody in the fine arts department.”
