Wes Lanich
Middle School Music Teacher, Manager of Educational & Information Technology
Wes moved to the Roaring Fork Valley in 2019 and worked with the Aspen Music Festival & School supporting their audio and streaming projects. Prior to that he taught music and history for 10 years at the Field School in Washington, DC, where he designed an innovative music production and recording engineering curriculum for student musicians and also served as head of Seventh Grade, and coordinated the summer school program. He holds a BA in history from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and a MA in audio technology from American University. Wes joined ACDS in January 2021.
What’s in your starter pack?
A piano, a microphone, and my record collection and player.
Dream dinner party?
Jimi Hendrix, Buddha, and Susan Tedeschi.
Something that was cool when you were younger?
Movies with Tom Hanks.
Most interesting job before this?
Being a touring musician. I once spent six weeks touring the U.S. and Canada with a band that was supporting k.d. lang. Playing every night in a new place gets old after a while, but it’s really fun for a long time. It was mostly with singer-songwriters, Americana-type bands, but I’ve also played a lot of jazz, blues, and rock and roll.
What’s a problem facing children growing up today, and how does a school like ours tackle it?
Many adults in the world have forgotten how to disagree with somebody but still respect them. So the role model part is tough for kids today. A school like ours has an opportunity to teach discourse and to teach children that they don’t have to think the same way as the person next to them. If you disagree, that doesn’t make them a bad person; there is still value in your neighbor and what they have to say.
