I remember my 7th grade orientation at Merton Intermediate School, meeting him for the first time. I walk in all nervous and socially awkward–it’s just who I was then. Yet, something about him made me open up a bit more. We introduce ourselves and he asks, “So Ethan, what kind of music do you listen to?” 

I can now admit that for the longest time, my music taste was pretty tragic. My response to him was “I don’t know… probably Marshmello,” kind of a forced response because I never really was into music, then followed by a nod and a smile as he delved into a conversation about EDM. I thought it was just a simple, trivial get-to-know-you question, but he really did care about me and the music.

During this time frame, the start of 7th grade, I had no idea what my passions were. I had nothing to enjoy, nothing to put my time into, nothing to call my own. Mr. Wagner changed that. Every day in the seventh grade, Mr. Wagner would bring in a new vinyl record to play for us on his record player.

 I’ve always enjoyed seeing his love for music, and I think he is where I get my love and appreciation for music from too. He immediately got me into artists like Jack Johnson, the Beatles, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Looking back even, I see artists that I’ll listen to currently like Lauryn Hill, Madlib, and MF DOOM. Every song had its reason, whether it was to tell a story, teach a lesson, or just to entertain, Mr. Wagner never failed to make each day brighter.

Now and then, I’ll open back up this document labeled “Songs of Room 216” where he listed all of the songs he played for the class and chose something to listen to. Not only do certain songs hold a strong reminder of how great of a teacher Mr. Wagner was, but also as a person. Even if he didn’t know it, he helped me get through a time in life that was a real struggle for me and introduced me to my biggest obsession for the past 5 years: Music.