TRAVERSE CITY — Traverse City Area Public Schools Music Coordinator and choral educator Wendee Wolf-Schlarf is saying farewell to the district and teaching after 38 years of music and vocal performance education.
The teacher and longtime Traverse City resident started her career with TCAPS in the fall semester of 1987 before serving as the district’s music coordinator for 21 of her 38 years in education. While she maintains that her profession was still engaging and rewarding, she decided to retire at the end of this academic year to make space for other areas of her life.
“I still love what I was doing,” she said. “I kept saying when it’s not fun or when I don’t feel like I can contribute, then it’s time to go. I was still having a great deal of fun and I hope I was still contributing, but there are pieces happening now … that it’s a good time for a transition.”
Wolf-Schlarf said the capital bond was approved in the August 2024 election, part of which plans for the music department to receive new teaching spaces.
“I’ve been a part of that process over the years but I really felt it needed somebody at the ground level to carry that through,” Wolf-Schlarf said, noting the excitement at the possibility of the music program’s continued growth.
“Now is a good time,” she said. “We have great camaraderie within the department and its a very cohesive K-12 curriculum. I just felt like everything was in a good place for me to step away and begin that new focus for TCAPS.”
FAMILY TIME
Wolf-Schlarf is also looking forward to more time with her family, including her 10-month-old grandson, who lives downstate.
“People said, ‘oh when you get grandkids, you’ll feel differently,” she said. “Teaching is such a rewarding profession and I have loved all of it, but it is very time-consuming and there are choices that I have made in my life that impact family, and they’ve been very tolerant and I appreciate that.”
Wolf-Schlarf said some upgrades are planned at home, too. Her family is working to renovate the house they built more than 30 years ago.
“Other than picking out paint colors, I’ve never done anything with that so I’m looking forward to learning some new skills,” she said.
Like many teachers, Wolf-Schlarf also has what she calls a “summer gig” — working part-time at Fustini’s Oils and Vinegars on East Front Street in Traverse City. Wolf-Schlarf said she enjoys cooking and baking often so she still intends to work at the downtown store.
“It’s a fun place to work and I get to see a lot of alumni, former students come in to say ‘hi,” she said. “It’s a good fit.”
Wolf-Schlarf also intends to remain involved with the Michigan School Vocal Music Association, a Michigan nonprofit organization that supports and promotes vocal music education for students in schools. She will continue to adjudicate festivals, listening to choirs and soloists from around the state and offering feedback.
“Music is not completely out, just in a different way,” she said.
CHALLENGES AND REWARDS
The biggest rewards of a tenured career falls into two categories for Wolf-Schlarf.
First, she said, is witnessing students grow musically throughout their education in TCAPS, which offered her a first-hand look at success within the district. Secondly, from a coordinator’s perspective, she noted that watching the current music staff and educators come together to support each other with their specialized area of instruction proves why TCAPS is often viewed as an example for other districts.
“Just understanding that music education as a whole, no matter if it’s our youngest learners or most advanced, we’re all in this together,” she said. “We all contribute to the success of the program.”
Still, the years have presented their own set of challenges. Wolf-Schlarf said that as students and schoolwork evolve to accommodate society’s expectations, it can be hard to keep some students focused on their musical responsibilities when they commit to concerts or performances while trying to maintain high-level academic success and, for some, play school sports.
“When I first started, they participated in a lot of different things and that was wonderful, but now I find us asking students earlier what they want to do,” she said, saying that she still feels since kids are pulled in so many different directions, it can be hard to excel at everything all at once.
“Also, just considering what brings you joy,” she said. “Your school years should be hard work but they should also be great fun.”
Wolf-Schlarf has spent many years championing music as part of a well-rounded education for TCAPS students. The reward of watching the program grow to what it is today remains a highlight.
“I think it has improved and there’s always room for growth,” she said. “Music should not be something that only those who have extreme gift and talent should be able to enjoy. I feel that within TCAPS, we have created a space for all students at all levels to be successful and for that to be a joyful part of their school experience.”
According to Wolf-Schlarf, TCAPS offers a musical program unlike many others around Michigan.
“We have something that is really unique that is not found in a lot of places,” she said. “We have an amazing school district that supports arts and music education and a level of excellence and expectation. … That’s not the case in most school districts.”
She continued to note that the music program is “a gem of Traverse City” and it’s important that it continues to thrive for future educators and students in the years and decades to come.
“We should never take it for granted because it could be gone in a heartbeat,” she said. “We can’t let that happen.”