Written by Ben Cox – Wrapping up his fifth year as the Woodland Heights music teacher, Aaron Terry is the type of man who wears his passions on his sleeve. Terry is eager to share his love of music with anyone who will listen.

 

 

While his love for music is understandable given his chosen profession, his exuberance for the topic is contagious. You can’t sit and talk with him for more than five minutes without feeling the joy he has for music.

“It’s my life,” he explained. “It’s what I do. It’s who I am.”

When talking about his love for opera, for instance, Terry will take you through his favorites quickly. So fast in fact, that you can’t help but smile and nod even if you have no clue which one he is talking about. He has his students in on the act, as well, teaching an annual opera lesson series in his class that includes performing one on the small stage in the schools cafeteria. 

“Last year we acted out The Magic Flute. We watched it on the screen (before performing it), and what was so cool is those kids were glued to that TV!” Terry says. “Even the foreign language doesn’t bother them because they know the story already and they’re constantly going ‘which one’s me?’ I’ll periodically ask what they’re doing on the screen and the kids know!”

Woodland Heights isn’t the only locale in town where Terry scratches his musical itch, directing the younger kids’ summer theater camp for the Brownwood Lyric Theatre, as well as being the music director for the older kids’ show.

This summer will see the 3rd through 6th grade kids performing Disney’s “Sleeping Beauty,” including the familiar tunes that everyone grew up with. (As if on cue, Terry takes this moment in the interview to break into Once Upon A Dream from the movie.)

Also a husband, father, and goat farmer, Terry is never lost for things to occupy his time.

“I always wanted to be a farmer, I grew up with animals. My grandpa always had something, my parents always had Nubians,” Terry tells the story of his first lesson as a goat owner. “It took me 30 seconds to prove that if a fence won’t hold water it won’t hold a goat.”

Terry and his wife Lark have four children, numerous goats, and are highly involved with the Brownwood Community Church.