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Check Out Brad Wright’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brad Wright.

Brad Wright

Hi Brad, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today. 
I’m Brad. I’m 51 and happily married with 4 kids and 2 dogs. I have taught choir for 27 years. I was born and raised in Michigan, and I live in Fenton which is just south of Flint. I love my wonderful wife, Jennifer, and our four children. I love the outdoors. I enjoy hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, kayaking, camping and backpacking. I play bagpipes and have played in several pipebands. I play several other instruments too including guitar, piano, banjo, and mandolin. I love coffee and books, mostly spy thrillers. My favorite place is Mackinac Island. My favorite beer is Bells Two Hearted. I like spending time up north in our family cabin in Gaylord. I graduated from WMU in 1996 and got married in 2002. And I will become a grandfather in January. I love cooking and I love it when my family enjoys something I made. My specialties are soups of all kinds, chili, chicken noodle, Cajun Gumbo, Cheesey Potato, French Onion. 

One of the things I’ve really enjoyed was hiking Isle Royale. I’ve done it twice. The last time was with my good friend John Manners and my son Joseph. We hiked 65 miles and went from one end of the island to the other. It was a great experience. Such a beautiful place. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’ve had a reasonably smooth life with the exception of the last year. I lost my father in March to cancer; I was hit by a drunk driver in February and my car was totaled. I had to have a rotator cuff repair due to the accident. And I just lost my older sister in October. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I graduated from WMU with a music degree. My focus is vocals. Since my first year of teaching, I’ve had vocal jazz groups. I learned to love vocal jazz thanks to Steve Zegree and Duane Davis, two of the most influential professors I’ve ever had. I have also learned to arrange music. Arranging is taking an existing song and changing the harmonies or voicings. One of the great parts of my job is having my choirs sing my arrangements and having them sound good. That has been one of the highlights of my career. I think I am known for holding very high standards for my students. Once, a long time ago, I was getting my students ready for a concert. I told them that they couldn’t touch their face or fix their hair. In an effort to practice, I told them to stand still for 1 min. I told them that they were stronger than the itch they were feeling. I told them that they were in charge of their own body. 

Years later, my father-in-law, who is an Uber driver, was driving a young woman. After a little bit he found she was one of my students. She told him that she had gone through a divorce, and it was really tough. She said that she remembered what I told her in choir years ago. “You are stronger than you think.” She told him that really helped her get through. 

What were you like growing up?
I was a pretty outgoing kid. I had 3 very close friends, but I was friendly with a lot of people. I played basketball and tennis, and I was good, but I didn’t love sports. I loved the band, choir, and drama. I was involved with all of the plays we did in high school. I was a little different. I didn’t always go along with the latest fashion or most popular music. I really tried to be my own person. I was also always the tallest in the class. Or at least one of the tallest. I worked hard in my classes and generally did well academically. I liked school. 


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Brad Wright

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