Robert E. Knatt photo by Daniel Sheehan
Legend. That is Robert E. Knatt. Renowned music educator who could be both feared and loved at the same time. His students were driven to please him and colleagues sought to emulate him. Knatt was uncomfortable with praise and adoration, but it was well known that education was his craft, fueled by pure love for music and for each and every student’s success.
I was a student of Mr. Knatt at Washington Middle School on Seattle’s historic Jackson Street, circa 1990-1993. Mr. Knatt, himself a slight and effortlessly stylish man, commanded attention. He had swagger before I knew the word. To watch him silence a middle school band room with the loudest two-finger whistle you’ve ever heard? The absolute coolest.
Mr. Knatt challenged students to do their best. And let me tell you, it’s rare for teenagers to push themselves. Yet he demanded it. “If you enter my classroom, you give me your best.” Middle school teaching isn’t glamorous, and it’s easy to be forgotten in a student’s musical path. But some educators leave students so transformed it’s impossible to forget them. Former students would regularly find their way back to visit Mr. Knatt at Washington Middle School; some in high school or college, some professional musicians, and all grateful adults. It meant the world to him.
So, fifteen years later, knowing how very challenging a path it would be, I reluctantly accepted the teaching position that Bob Knatt left vacant after announcing his retirement. I was reminded daily that I had “big shoes to fill.” Of course, I understood the sentiment and the unstated: “I hope you’re remarkable because Bob Knatt is the greatest,” with a little “I’m glad it’s not me” mixed in. Even though my Knatt impressions would’ve been pretty entertaining, it just never would have worked. That swagger thing. But I’ll try…Sheee’it.”
Continuing Knatt’s legacy through his values, not his incomparable personality, was the answer. Honesty, hard work, and a relentless pursuit of musicality for ourselves and our friends was the formula. His gift to our community and to the world is truly remarkable. Knowing him as a student, a mentee, a colleague, and as a friend will forever be one of the greatest honors of my life. What boosted me on the most challenging days was the lingering scent of his Jazz cologne and, yes, fittingly, that was truly the brand name.
In his 1999 Golden Apple Award Winner interview, Knatt reflected, “The thing I like most about teaching is looking at the kid who comes in and says he can’t and several months down the road just seeing them do it. And seeing what they have within themselves to actually make it happen. Kids do only what we allow them to, so if you expect them to do a little, then that’s what they do. But if you raise the bar, they oftentimes will rise to that occasion.”
And so we did.