Rabehl Retires

Every day in Scott Rabehl’s band class, students can expect the same friendly face, positive smile, and, of course, daily joke, would-you-rather question, or weekly “Stump the Band” trivia that is sure to make the class erupt with laughter. A sign of his commitment to improving himself and his class for his students, Rabehl’s introductions to class are friendly, fun, and welcoming.

On Tuesday, February 12, however, a typical friendly introduction to class was replaced with the announcement of Rabehl’s retirement. Band students received this with a mix of emotions. Earlier in the year, Rabehl announced that he would be stepping down from his spot as director of the HERD Marching Band, leading some closely involved with the program to guess that his retirement might follow. Despite this, the announcement was still a huge surprise, especially considering it was announced the day after the winter band concert. The announcement was made to every class, Repertory, Varsity, and finally, Concert.

As he prepares to take over the HERD Marching Band, Brian Veith, Buffalo Community Middle School band director and former marching director, has been reflecting on the previous seasons the HERD has had. He looks forward to returning to the marching arts, this time with the HERD.

“I have always loved the Marching Arts and was blessed to experience 20 years of parades and competitions in my previous job,” Brian Veith said. “I am very excited to be able to hit the streets again this summer with the HERD Marching Band! I have big shoes to fill as the HERD Director. Mr. Rabehl will be missed. His legacy has affected the lives of thousands of BHS students and made a big impact on our community.”

Scott Rabehl has been a band director for 32 years. Prior to becoming a director, he directed marching band in 1980 and for many years following. Aware of his big shoes to fill, Veith is looking forward to seeing the progress and growth the HERD will make moving forward. When asked about what the upcoming marching season will look like, Veith shared that the music they are playing is to honor the past and future of the HERD, including honoring Rabehl and previous directors.

“This year’s show will be music from Gillingham’s With Heart and Voice, a fantastic concert band tune adapted for the streets. The message is ‘The Heart of Buffalo’ — from voices of past and future. I am confident this year’s HERD will work hard to carry on the traditions, culture, pride, and distinction that Mr. Rabehl, Mr. Kjesbo (former HERD director), and previous directors have brought to the HERD, BHS, and the community of Buffalo.”

The HERD will be in great hands with Veith, but walking away from something you care about deeply is difficult. Rabehl walked away from music earlier in his life, but this time it is much different.

At the beginning of his young career, Rabehl left music to pursue a career in engineering. He then became a businessman for General Mills. He quit making music during this transition in his life, taking place during his mid twenties.

“My thought was I would make my first million, then [I would] move onto directing,” Rabehl joked.

Rabehl was re-inspired to become a band director after a fairy-tale-like coincidence. He was shopping at a mall and heard a band playing music, only to find that the band contained all of the previous directors he had ever had in his life. After this surreal experience, he joined the community band and fell in love with music again. Hearing the stories of these musicians and their lives as  band directors, Rabehl came to an understanding that he was on the wrong path with his life. He went back to school and became a band director, following in the footsteps of his mentors.

Rabehl’s job working at BHS has been a dream come true. He knew that retirement was in his very near future at the beginning of the school year. Whenever students asked Rabehl when he would be retiring, his typical response was usually, “Well, I know that my last graduating class is in the building.” He was concerned about how his students would react to the news, bracing for strong emotions.

“I did not like keeping it a secret and felt that I was fibbing,” Rabehl said. “I wanted the concert to be about these young musicians and not about me. I needed to tell my classes before the music teaching convention, which was to take place the following day, so I could let other directors know that there would be a job opening at Buffalo.”

Students reacted similarly to what was expected by Rabehl.

“I was shocked. I knew it was coming, but was thinking it would be in my junior year, not this soon,” said Repertory Band member Zac Damico ’27. “At first I felt mad, but after he explained his reasons as to why he was retiring, I felt that his retirement was for the best and I am accepting of it.”

Rabehl works 12 months each school year and sacrifices life out of school for the students he cares about so deeply. He is ecstatic to have the opportunity to punch out of work this year, and he looks forward to spending time with his wife, who retired five years ago.

“Exploring the world with my wife, who is my best friend, is something that I really look forward to in my retirement,” Rabehl said. “We have just finished visiting all sixty-something MN state parks and are excited to start hiking national ones. I would also enjoy finding another form of art and new hobbies to play around with. Volunteering is another passion that I have. Being able to sit one-on-one with a student in a class I am not in charge of is important to me and makes me feel fulfilled to establish those connections. I also want to start Tai Chi because I used to have my black belt in Tae Kwon Do and stopped at 59.”

What can we expect next? It is still unknown who will fill Rabehl’s place as the Buffalo High School band director. There are a lot of considerations to make when a new band director is to be hired. What is known now is that the HERD marching band is starting a new chapter with middle school band director Brian Veith as their lead director. Rabehl’s job as a director taught him that he is never done learning. He liked the instant feedback he would receive from either big or small changes.

“Pursuing effective change is an important thing to understand, always knowing that there is a better, smarter and a different way to do the thing, keeping me engaged,” Rabhel said, explaining his teaching philosophy.“I did appreciate being able to end a class, knowing that I had just made a positive impact on these kids’ lives.”

Scott Rabehl’s dedication and devotion to not only create an exquisite band community, but build valuable and meaningful relationships with his students has truly been a gift that the Buffalo music program will treasure forever.