by Jen Myers
(Each month, Wellpoint, Lowell Public Schools and InsideLowell honor a Lowell teacher for their exemplary work in the classroom and for going the extra mile to serve as a positive influence in the lives of their students)
It is the last week of school and the 5th grade attention span is teetering on nonexistent. It appears they have reached their learning limit for the school year.
But wait! Wang Middle School Music teacher David Grenier has a trick up his sleeve, or more accurately in the 5-gallon bucket he’s toting around. It is a bucket full of (sanitized) mouthpieces. Each student is given one; they watch a video that shows the correct way to form their lips to the mouthpiece to nail the perfect aperture for playing a brass instrument.
They are enthusiastically practicing “buzzing.”
Once that skill is solid, they are each presented with a bright red instrument called a pBuzz in which to insert their mouthpiece. The pBuzz is an instrument that allows students to learn the fundamental skills they need to play brass instruments like the trumpet, trombone, or flugelhorn.
By the end of class, they are playing Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off” and leave the auditorium pretty pleased with themselves.
It is no accident that David Grenier became a music teacher.
As a kid, music is how he bonded with his dad, how he made friends, and how he built his confidence.
His dad, although not formally trained, was an exceptional country guitarist who learned music by ear quickly and had a huge repertoire of country standards at the ready.
“I started playing guitar at 13; for the first few years, I mostly learned by watching and listening to my dad and copying him,” Grenier said. “In high school and college, I played in a few different punk and alt rock bands. Whatever genre or style of music I am performing, my father’s influence comes out in the way I play.”
His mom was a teacher for more than 40 years and her dedication to her work and the impact she had on her students left a lasting impression on him.
Grenier grew up in Voluntown, Connecticut and went to high school at Norwich Free Academy in Norwich, Connecticut. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Music from Wesleyan University and a master’s degree in Special Education from Southern Connecticut State University.
Grenier began his teaching career at Ashland High School as a Special Education teacher. In 2004, he taught at the Rogers School here in Lowell until it closed in 2009 (it later reopened as the STEM Academy). He then taught at the Robinson Middle School for 10 years – for most of those years he was a 6th grade ELA and Social Studies teacher before becoming the school’s Music teacher in 2017.
Since that time, he has taught Music at the STEM Academy, Stoklosa Middle School, and this was his first year at the Wang.
Grenier digs working with middle school kids, even though they can be a bit challenging as they push boundaries around authority; but the rewards outweigh the frustrations.
“The students are sophisticated enough in their thinking to be inventive, to have thoughtful discussions about complex topics, and their approach to the world is still very fluid,“ he said. “Life is still one big experiment when you’re in middle school. I like being on that playing field with kids.”
At the Wang, he focuses on introducing fundamental skills to students on a variety of instruments – ukuleles, guitars, keyboards, drums, vocals and brass instruments.
“Most of the songs that we practice in class are songs that students have chosen,” he said. “Being culturally responsive is critical to maintaining engagement. We also do original songwriting projects, and use technological tools such as Digital Audio Workstations to create unique arrangements of popular songs.”
The skills you need to learn and practice music force your brain to work in a different way than it does when you are learning history or science. Music class isn’t just a break in the day. It is fundamental, Grenier said, providing important skills for academic success and career readiness, as well as building their social skills and confidence.
“While students are learning musical skills, they are also learning to collaborate and to make creative decisions as part of a team,” Grenier said. “They have to articulate and support abstract ideas in dialogue with their classmates. They become critical listeners and thinkers who recognize patterns in music, and observe contrasts and changes between and within pieces of music. I think the qualities of a successful music student mirror the qualities of a successful, career-ready person.”
STEM Academy Music teacher Eric Buckley called Grenier “the hardest working music teacher I’ve ever met.”
“He picks music he knows the students will like to play, and helps them learn music of their choice; he has the expertise to teach all the instruments,” added Buckley. “He’s a technology genius. The videos he makes to instruct the kids are extremely helpful.”
Grenier produces videos of student performances used to recruit other students. That, Buckley said, is where his genius really shines through.
Grenier, Buckley, and other music teachers in the district have been fighting to strengthen music education in the schools and to restore the middle school band program.
“Band programming in Lowell is at a crossroads,” he said. “Since the pandemic, only two schools (Pyne Arts and STEM Academy) have re-established band programs that are accessible to all students during the school day.”
This past school year, other schools offered afterschool band programs; however, the funding for that program is not included in the coming school year’s budget.
“I hope that within two years every middle school student in LPS will have the option of joining band during the school day,” Grenier said. “Those programs are popular with kids and they are successful.”
He has big dreams for what band could look like at the Wang – a scaled up modern band model, with guitars, bass, keyboards, ukuleles, drums, brass and woodwinds, and lots of singers performing repertoire that represents the interests of the kids.
“Our students are entitled to band,” he added. “It’s not enough for band to be just an afterschool option, or only available to certain kids.”
In addition to working with and advocating for his students, Grenier has also been working to bring the district’s Music teachers together.
Last November, Grenier arranged for 13 district Music teachers to take the six-hour Modern Band 101 course offered by Music Will, a national non-profit that supports music education in public schools.
It gave district Music teachers an opportunity they rarely have – to come together to network and share ideas.
In May, twelve rock bands from four schools – the Bartlett Community Partnership School, Wang Middle School, STEM Academy, and Lowell High took over Taffeta – a real music venue at Western Avenue Studios – for JamFest 2025. The event was made possible by funding from Music Will and the generosity of the owners of Taffeta.
“It was really heartwarming to see the high schoolers cheering and encouraging the younger bands, and my students loved watching the high school bands rock out,” said Grenier. “Parents and teachers who attended the event or watched the livestream responded very enthusiastically.”
One of the Wang bands that performed that night was inspired to continue rehearsing after school – hoping to get their own gig at Taffeta.
“The experience the kids had of playing at a venue outside of their school, on a professional stage in front of a crowd, is an experience each kid will remember forever,” said Buckley.
Grenier said he hopes students leave his class as life-long learners who understand that music is for everyone, regardless of skill level.
“Music making can be technical and virtuosic, or it can be very simple and leisurely, but there is an access point for every individual, and creativity has infinite forms,” he said. “If some of my students decide not to pursue music as a career or a hobby, I hope that my class helps them develop the confidence, patience, interpersonal skills and critical thinking that they will need to succeed throughout their education and careers.”
All About Mr. Grenier
Hobbies: Playing a variety of instruments, hiking, going to the gym, cooking, reading, hanging with my dog Dallas.
Dream Vacation: I spent a few days with my family in a Swiss village called Wengen that can only be reached on foot or by cog railway. It was so relaxing. I would go back there in a heartbeat.
Favorite song to sing in the car: Lately, “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie.
Favorite meal: The Nam Kao Lao salad from Lanxang Star restaurant in Dracut, with purple sticky rice and coconut custard for dessert.
Favorite snack: Vanilla yogurt parfait with blackberries, peanut butter, chia seeds, and cashew butter crunch granola.
Favorite Movie: The 1997 documentary Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control by Errol Morris. It’s about the many ways to live a creative, purpose driven life.
Favorite Book: Fiction: The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver; Nonfiction: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman.
Favorite TV Show: Severance
Favorite Fictional Character: Eustacia Vye from the novel Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy
