Music teacher and freelance musician Samuel Mellman wouldn’t say his records fit neatly into a mold. In fact, when I asked him to describe the music that he makes in the studio and with his band mates, he told me he regularly struggles finding a concise “elevator pitch-” something that encapsulates all of the shapes and forms he takes as a musician, and that his music takes along with him.
“I might describe [it] as mellow-leaning rock or folk, with a strong affinity for exciting harmonic progressions, and melodies reminiscent of the 1960s-era bands,” Mellman told me, thinking for a while. “If you mixed the big vocal harmonies of the Beach Boys with a horn section and some more contemporary bedroom-pop artists today, this might be a close approximation to [the music I make.” I was intrigued by the distinct, yet poetic, way he described himself in the light of music- so I asked him more.
Earlier this year, I visited Mellman in his classroom to get a better sense of who he was as a musician, both inside the classroom and beyond the bounds of Montclair High School. Ultimately, I found that much of what he does works together, allowing him to do what he loves to do in many different ways.
Samuel Mellman is a Montclair High School alum and has been a teacher of music here at the high school for the past three years. (You can find him and his classes in Room 108). Mellman teaches Music Appreciation and three choir classes in addition to being the Music Director for MHS’s beloved School of Visual and Performing Arts (SVPA) program.
Though now also a teacher, Mellman has been a musician since he can remember. “My entire life I’ve been playing and learning about music,” Mellman said. He noted that, despite being involved in music for so long, he is still learning every day. “Every year I learn new things, and I’ve continued to pick up new instruments over the years.”
Mellman is primarily a trombonist, but is quite versatile when it comes to instruments- he also plays on the piano, guitar, and drums, all in addition to writing music for his own original songs. Recently, he told me, he has also picked up the clarinet. “Next month I will be recording some clarinet, trumpet and trombone on some songs for a new record by a close friend in Brooklyn,” Mellman said of upcoming endeavors with his newly acquired musical challenge.
Mellman’s general passion for music stems from the positive feelings of enrichment he experiences from his engagement with it, which anyone involved in music (or who simply loves listening to it!) can likely relate to.“Friendship,” “introspection,” and “[continuous challenges] to improve and explore new ideas” are some of the beauties Mellman sees in his artistry. He also enjoys personally developing new ways to “understand and take inspiration from others,” as well as getting the chance to travel for music-related activities and enjoy new experiences.
Besides exploring his clear talent as a performer and musical collaborator, I wanted to gain more insight into Mellman’s world as a teacher, and dive into how his musical endeavors collide with his thoughts about teaching and musical education. As a musician myself, I am aware of many (both professional and upcoming) musicians who also teach in various areas, and I wondered if there is a possibly significant relationship between the two distinct spheres. As it turns out, they work together quite seamlessly, at least for Mellman, who feels like one simply doesn’t exist without the other.
It is possible that Mellman’s capacity for teaching started at home, similarly to music. After all, his mother is an art teacher and his brother “started teaching right after college.”Mellman described his family as one with a “ generally strong disposition” for education.
When speaking specifically of his upbringing, exploration of music, and how his path to becoming an educator works together, Mellman noted that “teaching is a natural thing for many artists to do as they make ends meet and engage with their craft.” However, becoming an educator wasn’t necessarily a part of Mellman’s premeditated plan for his life. Though the pursuit of professional musicianship and performance was always a “personal choice,” his introduction to teaching was not quite as natural. He told me that he was “a bit resistant to it” when he first explored the idea, and that teaching “[in some ways] chose [him].”
Now that he has been doing it for some time, however, Mellman has “happily embraced” teaching and feels rewarded by the opportunity to learn from his students- “…we all grow up in different times and there’s a lot of music I don’t know, so I am grateful I get to learn about it.” SVPA, he adds, presents the perfect opportunity to stay refreshed on current sounds while being comforted by music of the past.
Besides enjoying his teaching as a simply distinct area of work, Mellman talked a lot with me about how much teaching teaches him about being a musician. “The two are often quite symbiotic,” he explained. “Teaching requires continuous growth as a musician and engagement with different music and personalities, which are all important parts of being an active musician.” Logistically, teaching also provides an ideal schedule that compliments the demands of a musical career. “For those lucky enough to have regular school employment, [teaching] provides a very predictable schedule with time to get to rehearsals or shows in the evening, or for weekend gigs. Summers off give the opportunity to keep teaching and writing in different contexts.”
Mellman mentioned that being a teacher directly impacts him as a performer by “[pushing] against getting settled in [his] ways.” “You are always finding new things to keep moving forward with…expanding one’s horizons,” he said of finding new and engaging ways to teach. These new ideas can be taken into the recording studio in ways that add originality and freshness to Mellman’s sound as a musician. Mellman also said that he takes personal inspiration from the young musicians he works with all week at MHS, as well during the summer at the performing arts camp where he teaches. Generally speaking, both of his jobs serve as motivation to continue growing at the other: “Every year I want to get better as a teacher… and every year I learn new music and new skills that contribute to my music life in school and outside of it. The more I know outside of school the more I am able to expose my students to here.”
Naturally, Mellman is an avid advocate of arts and music education for all students: “Every study shows that music education from a young age helps build literacy, communication, and social skills.” He’s right- a well-known article of high literary merit, The Case for Music in the Schools by Allan Miller and Dorita Coene, discusses countless studies that point to a heightened ability to thrive for students that receive some sort of music education in school or play an instrument.
Mellman said it is important that schools, including Montclair High, continue to offer robust music programs that students can “participate in freely without compromising on other parts of their education, even as there is the societal push to do more and more resume-building things beyond formal music training.” 
Through his own teaching, Mellman is particularly passionate about ensuring that all students who come through his classroom during their high school career can be exposed to (and ultimately experience independently) school-wide and local arts, as well as the role they have played in the “special” history of Montclair’s culture for decades. “I like teaching about the important role of the arts in this town’s appeal to the next generation, and the young musicians I meet here in the school have inspired me in the world alike.” Mellman feels fortunate to come full circle in a community he has been a part of for so long.
For students who have not had a chance to take one of his classes just yet, Mellman encourages anyone to sign up, regardless of prior experience with music and/or other performing arts. (In fact, Mellman mentioned Youtube and other helpful internet sources to me as easily accessible resources for anyone looking to learn some basic music skills on their own. He noted that “creating, exploring and learning about music outside of traditional education and school settings brings just as much opportunity for creative decision making and identity exploration as we grow into humans and individuals in society.”). In class, students can expect a creatively engaging environment exploring the type of music education curriculum Mellman is so passionate about. He likes to add a “personal touch,” however, informed by his life as an independent musician, incorporating things like basic piano skills, “a little bit of reading music, understanding chords and harmonies, and getting a chance to actually play some instruments.”
As a longtime member of the Montclair High School (and whole town) community, Mellman enjoys staying in touch with the local music and arts scene as it grows and changes. Pinegrove, for example, is one of Mellman’s favorite groups and was his favorite band back in high school. Pinegrove is a group full of Montclair High School graduates, described by Mellman as “kind of indie rock hometown heroes.” He finds sticking to his roots in these sorts of ways and being a member of the arts community locally is a way for him to stay connected to the culture he has been around for so long through a medium he is passionate about.
Of course, Mellman is also a lover of all kinds of music, well beyond Montclair’s borders. Upon his recommendation, I watched and listened to music videos from up-and-coming New York singer and song-writer Allegra Krieger. “She writes very grabbing melodies with beautifully mindful lyrics about her experiences and the things around her in New York City,” Mellman said, “with a very warm and calm sound, sometimes a strange sense of time, and just a gorgeous singing voice.” His description intrigued me, and I was certainly not disappointed by what I heard. The musician in me deeply values the opportunity to discover and explore new and original sound through other musicians, just like Mellman, and really appreciated the chance to discover a source of interest and inspiration. Many thanks to Mr. Mellman for allowing me to explore his life!
Listen to Sammy Mellman’s new music:
Bandcamp: https://sammytrombone.bandcamp.com/album/mellowman
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/47TLaluTcJYWqp27MJ7vwm?si=uFByzS5BTdGcKbl0qf1bAw
Apple Music: music.apple.com/us/album/mellowman/1773059833
He is excited to have recently released a new 20-minute record collection, “Mellowman.” Additionally, you can find two of Mellman’s older albums on all streaming services: “That Bird,” which was written and recorded independently in the early pandemic, and “Sammy Trombone,” which contains some of Mellman’s earlier work and features many of his bandmates playing the drums, bass, and saxophone. Happy listening!
