From Beginning Band to Senior Year: Honoring Mr. Flim

Mr. Robert Flim, conductor of the middle school and high school band, as well as teacher of elementary music, is one of the biggest factors in the success of the Eastern Christian music department in the last couple of years.

Although the three music ensembles, Orchestra, Band, and Choir, are not able to meet for at least this semester, Mr. Flim retains a positive attitude regarding the future of the music program. 

Instead of leading music classes on all of the Eastern Christian school campuses, Mr. Flim is currently teaching fourth grade music classes, focusing on the younger kids for this school year. 

While he enjoys the younger kids, he explains that “It’s kind of tough because I’ve always loved teaching the high school groups, I get along with them very well”. 

Despite his inability to teach his middle school and high school programs due to Coronavirus, Mr. Flim discloses that he enjoys the “innocence and desire to learn” that is found in the younger age group. 

His favorite part of teaching younger students about music is that “these kids do not really have inhibitions [...] I can have them stand up and do a silly little dance and they’re not embarrassed to do that”. 

Having been part of the music department for a long time, Mr. Flim has had the opportunity to  teach students about music since their first days of elementary school, all the way up until band students’ last day of high school.

He maintains that his favorite part about being able to teach band is that he gets to “see them progress from 5th grade band, all the way through middle school and into high school”. 

He remarks to all of his students, especially his seniors that “When you’re part of an ensemble, there is so much more going on than just playing an instrument [...] there are so many more things that you learn and take with you later in life after being part of an ensemble.”