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Scott VanZuiden

Connections

Connections between math & music, head & heart, life & faith

At St. Paul, we don’t give awards for such things. But if we did, surely Scott VanZuiden [ZOO-den] of Morrison, Illinois, would get the “travels farthest” certificate.

It’s a passion for pipe organ music and love for this community of faith that keep drawing him to church, often two or three times a week.

You may have noticed Scott at the May pipe organ recital. He has been the one to count on to turn pages for recital repertoire and challenging postludes. He stands alongside the organist, following complex notes on the sheet music. “It’s kind of nerve-wracking, especially if the music is difficult or hard to follow,” says he. He keeps his eyes dancing along the pedal line. With the nod of the organist, he crisply turns the page.

Page-turning is an unexpected role for one who describes himself this way: “I don’t want to be in the spotlight. I like to be around people and blend in.”

A math teacher by vocation, Scott has an almost inborn affinity for the powerful, versatile music of the pipe organ. It makes sense. Research supports the brain connection between classical music and mathematical abilities. And for Scott, music also connects deeply with his faith.

The story goes that Scott was in second grade in Thomson, Illinois, when he declared that he wanted to be a teacher. Farming was the family profession, but hogs and soybeans, mowing and haying, didn’t hold much appeal. Scott wanted to get off the farm and into a math classroom.

When he learned to drive as a teenager, Scott asked if he could take the car to a nearby church. There he found the majesty of the pipe organ and a positive message. He was hooked for life.

Out of college, math education degree in hand, Scott first taught elementary students with learning disabilities in Morrison, and then special needs students with behavior disorders and mental disabilities in Lawrence, Kansas. His struggling students’ small successes fueled his dedication to their reading proficiency.

A yearning to be close to family pulled Scott back to Morrison, where his mother and 101-year-old grandmother still live.

For four years now, teaching math to sixth-graders at Morrison Junior High School has been Scott’s daily work. Grateful to set down the massive paperwork required for special needs education, he thrives in this setting. “I love it. I love solving the puzzle, thinking through the process of math problems, helping students see the connections between math and the real world.”

If you’re going to paint a wall or tile a ceiling, you’d better understand surface area, he tells his students. Sixth-graders, he says, are so teachable. They still like to “please their teacher. They’re starting to implement their morals. They’re learning who they are and what they believe. It’s neat to see them make good choices and guide them when they don’t.”

Many students carry a “math phobia” into the classroom, says Scott. “People say, ‘Oh, I can never get math.’ But I show them that they can succeed, that — yes — you can learn.” Scott also teaches developmental math classes at Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon, Illinois (and this summer at Scott Community College in Bettendorf).

St. Paul worship and music rejuvenate Scott each week. Singing in the choir and connecting with people stir his faith. He is “amazed at how the Bible readings, the sermon, and the music all come together in worship. I always get the message that we should go out and serve others, to always be there for other people. And even though I can’t talk about religion at school, I keep that thought in my mind whenever I’m working with students — particularly when they struggle or have unfortunate circumstances.”

A member of the Pipe Organ Team that brought the organ to majestic life, Scott loved “being able to share the excitement and knowledge of what is a magnificent instrument, from the time of gathering information to when the semis arrived with so many pieces and parts, and people were asking questions as the organ grew in the new sanctuary.” Now he has said yes to serving on a search team for a new music director.

That means more hour-long trips each week on I-88 between Morrison and the Quad Cities. As Scott travels the rural landscape, he unwinds, listens to music, thinks about family, offers a prayer. Perhaps a math problem teases his brain. The trip doesn’t seem so long. His church home is on one end, his hometown on the other. He’s making the connection between math and music, head and heart, life and faith.

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"Who needs special effects when life itself is the most extraordinary special effect imaginable?" ~Michael Phillips, film critic, Chicago Tribune