Garrett Sprinkle ’24 Carries Passion for Music to the Classroom

Garrett Sprinkle, a Knox music and educational studies double major, took an opportunity from the George Washington Gale Scholars program and ran with it. The 2024 Knox College graduate developed a passion for music in high school and turned that into multiple musical experiences at Knox, performing with the Knox Jazz Ensemble, the Knox Chamber Brass, and as part of the inaugural Knox Rocks concert. He now shares his love of music with the next generation of students as the band and choir director at ROWVA Junior/Senior High School in western Illinois.

Was music education something you always wanted to do as a career?

When I was little, I wanted to be an astronaut. I then shifted focus to something science-oriented, but in my junior year of high school, I performed at my director Dean Petrie’s final concert before he retired. I saw all the people who came back because he had impacted their lives, and I knew at that moment that’s what I wanted to do. 

School band was always the class I looked forward to; it was the reason I was coming to school, it was the thing that made me the most excited about being there. I wanted to be that place for a different generation of kids and spread the love for music and allow people to learn to express themselves the same way I was allowed to. 

How were you involved in music when you attended Knox?

I was in a whole bunch of ensembles; the most I was in at one time was six. I was in the Knox Jazz Ensemble, the Knox Chamber Brass. I was in TriTones, a tenor bass choir for a term. I helped found the Knox Rocks concept. I was in the first band to start it, and I was also in another funk band during my time there. Both of those were some of the most fun musical experiences I’ve had in my entire life. 

Did those experiences allow you to explore music education?

I was allowed to conduct a piece for the Knox Chamber Brass because I was interested in becoming a music educator, and a director knew that. I was also often on committees to interview new music faculty because they knew I was a passionate and dedicated student.

You were also a Gale Scholar. What was that experience like?

When I was in eighth grade and chosen to be a Gale Scholar, I didn’t really grasp the full weight of what that meant, what an opportunity free college can be to someone. Even in high school, when you’re doing the volunteer programs and the weekly meetings, and everything else you do to earn being a Gale Scholar, you don’t get it until you set foot on a college campus for the first day. They’re talking about financial aid with a group that is not Gale Scholars, and none of it applies to you because the program allows you to attend Knox absolutely free. It is a tremendous opportunity; I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing right now without having been a Gale Scholar. I also met incredible people through being a Gale Scholar. Steve Cheesman ’80 was our coordinator, and he was, and still is, a great resource to me and my brother, who was also a Gale Scholar. He instilled lessons in me that I’ll never forget.

What advice would you give to current and future Gale Scholars?

Try to understand what you’re being given, don’t take it for granted, and don’t waste your opportunity. There is very little that can make up for a loan-free, debt-free education from a great school like Knox. I would make the decision I did 100 times over again.

As a student, you performed at the Rootabaga Jazz Festival, and now you have returned to perform as an alum. What are those experiences like, and why do you think alums love coming back for Rootabaga?

When I was a student, I was performing in the alum band for two years because they were short on trumpet players, but to come back after I graduated and be a proper alum in the alum band, it felt special because you’re with people who graduated 20, 30, 40 years ago. You feel more like you belong because you did this, you know what it’s like to go through everything and that’s special to me. Rootabaga is a special thing; it brings people from all around the community together and brings world-class artists to Galesburg, a small town in Illinois. It’s a great experience. I’m glad I was part of it as a student and can continue to be a part of it as an alum.

You mention a lot of the people on the academic and music side who were there for you. What is it like to now be that mentor for young people that you had when you were in junior high, high school, and college?

It’s kind of surreal in a way to be what you've wanted to be for a long time. I’ve found myself thinking, now that I’ve reached a long-term goal, what’s my next one? Now I’m helping kids make their decisions and goals. In just my first year here, I had at least two kids come up to me and tell me they didn’t care about music until this year, and now they want to be music teachers, and that meant so much to me. It gives me a lot of pride, love, and happiness because that’s what I want to spread through music. One of those students is going to Knox this fall.