Alan Jacobus Standing several feet above a group of small children, Alan Jacobus commands attention with a clear, loud voice. Minutes before, the children sat enraptured, eyes fixed on cartoon that featured a wordless musical score. Now they looked at Mr. Jacobus.

“You can use music to tell a story,” he told them. “Communication doesn’t always have to be speaking.”

Even on a Friday afternoon, the Les Cheneaux elementary students pay attention as he teaches one of the first principles of music appreciation: If you listen closely to a piece of music, you can hear emotions, characters, and a plot emerge.

A former student wrote to him, “I clearly remember you inspiring me to become a band teacher. It was obvious that you enjoyed what you were doing, and I hope I can become the teacher you are someday.”

Mr. Jacobus said the letter is one of the greatest thrills of his life.

“I want to make music a part of students’ lives,” he said. “My mother was a teacher and I always enjoyed watching her with her students, and I remember wanting to do that.”

His commitment was recognized this month when the Cedarville teacher was named the State Band Teacher of the Year by the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association (MSBOA). It is the first time in the 75-year history of MSBOA that a band teacher from the Upper Peninsula has received the award. He was selected from a pool of approximately 1,700 music teachers around Michigan.

Cedarville musicians have consistently earned top-level awards at district and state competitions since he started directing the music program seven years ago. Student participation in band programs has tripled since he arrived, and enrollment in band programs now represents 50 percent of the Cedarville student body. The Cedarville band has performed in Ann Arbor, New York City, and Sydney, Australia and several of his students have been accepted to the Interlochen and Blue Lake performing arts camps.

“When we played in Ann Arbor (at the 2003 Michigan Music Education In-Service Conference), I was sure that people were impressed by what a band from a small town can achieve,” he said. “The band is well known and well respected.”

The band received a standing ovation after their performance in Ann Arbor and an invitation to play at the Australian Band Conference and International Music Festival in Sydney, Australia. The band raised more than $100,000 for the trip and brought home a gold award for their 2004 performance.

“I think he’s created an atmosphere of high standards and enthusiasm that has really transformed our program,” said Cedarville High Principal Randy Schaedig. “I think the expectations have been raised so high and the kids perform. He’s good at setting that bar high, and then he takes them along to help them get there. He gets a lot out of them in that 52 minutes (of class time), and I don’t know how he does it.”

Mr. Jacobus started teaching at Cedarville in August 1998, after teaching nearly 20 years in places like Muskegon and Sault Ste. Marie. He began his teaching career in Kentucky at Jessamine County High School and served as an adjunct faculty member at Asbury College in Kentucky. His oldest son, Enoch, now studies music theory and composition at Asbury.

Mr. Jacobus earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Kentucky and has done graduate work at the University of Illinois, Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Ball State University in Indiana, and Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant.

When he and his family moved to Cedarville, he set out to make Cedarville’s band program worthy of state-level competition. He also jumped into community activities, directing the summertime Les Cheneaux Community Band and the music for the summer Community Theater program. He directs the First Union Church handbell choir and often performs at community activities with his family. All of the Jacobus family play instruments, including his wife, Lori, and children, Enoch and Noah.

The band has attracted thousands of dollars in donations from year-around and summer residents and Mr. Jacobus and the Les Cheneaux Music Boosters have recorded the band’s special performances on compact discs for those unable to hear them play in person. Requests from seasonal residents prompted the band to host a rare summer concert upon their return from Australia last year. The concert was attended by several hundred people, who rewarded the band with a standing ovations and letters of appreciation.

“I think the quality of our performances and professionalism have really rallied the people around the band,” Mr. Schaedig said. “I think there really hasn’t been that community-wide support that there is now. We’re really fortunate to have a teacher of his caliber at our school.”

For Mr. Jacobus, the motivation is simple.

“I get such a thrill seeing kids work together to make music,” he said. “I think music can be such an important part of one’s life, something they can enjoy forever.”