Play us a song

In mid-January, Malta School's Choir Director Larry Swingen was named the 2014-15 National Federation of High School Association's Outstanding Music Educator at the Montana High School Association's Annual Meeting held in Helena.

"It's a great honor," Swingen said. "There is such a list of amazing teachers through the years who have received it, so it is a great honor."

For the past 35 years, if you have needed to find Mr. Swingen at his office, all you would have to do is follow the music. Last Wednesday morning, the sound of 50 voices singing in harmony spilled into Malta High School's halls as Swingen's first period class came to a close. The smiles on the student's faces as they left the classroom confirm that music is alive and well in Malta and these young artists enjoy the time they put into choir practice.

What has turned into a lifetime career for Swingen in Malta wasn't the original intention, however.

"We came here right after college and thought we might stay just a few years and here we are," said Swingen. "We raised our family here and they are off and on their own and are happy and healthy."

The "we" Swingen is referring to is his wife of nearly 35 years, Barb, who has taught kindergarten at Malta Elementary for the past 34 years (after a one-year stint as a teacher in Dodson.) The couple met while they attended Concordia College in Moorehead, Minn., where he received a BA in Music in piano performance and voice education.

"We were engaged and graduated in early May, got married in June of 1981," said Swingen. "We applied at a number of places, but Malta had the best set-up, I thought and the school supported music."

Swingen is the second music teacher to win the NFSA award in the past decade as music teacher Erik Engebretson was honored with the decoration in 2005-06.

"Another reason for wanting to stay in this community is the great relationship I enjoy with my co-worker, Erik Engebretson," said Swingen. "It is so great to bounce ideas back and forth with this fine educator."

Swingen's passion for music started early. He said he once got in trouble while in kindergarten for humming. Later, while in high school and college, he followed his sister's lead and joined a barbershop quartet.

"My family would also go to see other barbershop shows," said Swingen. "By the time I got to high school, I had three other buddies and we were singing and doing contests and doing little performances here and there around town."

The Swingen's have two children, Laura – who lives in Bismarck, N.D. with her husband and two children – and Jason who lives with his wife in Duluth, Minn.

"They were both educated in Malta and went on and did very well in their college careers and off they are in their lives," he said.

Over 35 years, Swingen has seen a number of students start their academic careers in kindergarten and blossom into young adults as graduating seniors. In Mrs. Swingen's kindergarten class, she has a favorite book she reads to the students each year which teach the children to sing "loud and terrible," according to Mrs. Swingen.

"This character in the book sings loud and terrible," Mr. Swingen said. "So she brings them into my room and they sing loud and terrible for me. I say, 'okay, Barb, you go back and teach kindergarten and I will teach them music'."

One of the main reasons Swingen said he has decided to stay-on as a teacher for so long in Malta is because he gets to wear so many hats.

"This award is for high school, which is great," said Swingen. "But I love to do middle school music as well, because they are so full of energy, and with the grade school kids it is fun to see them grow from simple little kindergarten songs to other things."

With 35-years under his belt as an educator at Malta School, Swingen didn't say anything about retirement, but rather "we'll probably do a few more and we will leave it at that."

"We are both happy with our jobs here," said Swingen. "We are real happy with our principals. The administration is great. The public support is great and we both love our jobs so we are happy to just keep going."