ANDREW OSMAN

9/9/60 - 9/4/20

 Statement from Chris Stevens of the Long Beach Poly Music Department

The second band position at this school opened suddenly midway through the 1995-96 school year, and I was recommended to Andy by a mutual friend, the great Chris Wabich, who worked here running the steel drum program. Times were different then, and despite my lack of immediate qualifications, Andy came over to my house to interview me to fill the spot. 

During that brief and informal meeting, Andy said something to me that made an impact such that I’ve never forgotten. Andy said, “This job is not a stepping stone for me.” At that time, he had already been here 12 years, in itself a significant tenure at one school in a field where music teachers are often in search of greener grass. 23 years later, his words remain true. Andy has devoted his entire professional life to this school and the thousands of students that have come through his ensembles. Included in that schedule for decades has been Symphonic Winds, at Zero Period, starting before 7:00 O’clock in the morning, inspiring teenagers to produce a consistently superior level of performance, when mere mortals can’t even convince them to get out of bed.

And he has done so not in a flashy or self-aggrandizing manner, but rather with a relentless and highly methodical daily devotion to getting the job done at the highest level. We have 2 Grammy Awards. One of them is on the wall in the band room, and at the moment I am honestly not sure where the other one is. It has never been about that angle; just a work ethic focused on the students, as musicians and much more importantly, as people. This is the attitude that Andy has embodied, and I have done my best to model on his lead, for all these years. 

I have never had to do my job alone. Andy has had my back since day one, early on forgiving my ignorance in many aspects of being a real band director and my ongoing Harold Hill impression. Rather, celebrating my enthusiasm and filling in gaps for me, advising me on so many aspects of music education, from ensemble balance and blend, to instrument repair and inventory, student data logs, and scheduling. One of Andy’s traditions each spring has been to personally sit at the main office computer for hours on end, making sure each of the hundreds of Poly Music students are in the correct classes, saving the counselors the need to deal with the myriad details involved.

The schedule here in our department is often relentless and fairly all-consuming. For example, Andy annually refers to “March Madness”, when the extra rehearsals, concerts, and festivals come in a stream of tightly packed goals and deadlines. Throughout it all, Poly feels like a second home rather than a place of work, and collegial relationships certainly have a strong personal connection in addition to the professional responsibilities. As Andy’s colleague, work partner, and friend these last 23 years, I will remain eternally so grateful and indebted to him for making it as congenial and fun as it possibly could have been every single day. As Kent Hayworth mentioned, today marks the end of a truly amazing era in our Instrumental Music Department, under extremely imperfect circumstances. But thankfully, how perfect is this signage, to be constantly reminded of the profound impact Andy Osman has made on Long Beach Poly High School.