Music teacher finds satisfaction in his work

But the awards are not what impress Chris Fettig, the school’s music director, the most.

“These are my most important trophies,” he said, looking at the 20 graduatingclass picture collages that line the back wall of the room, dating back to the early 1990s.

“They are the students who sang here for all four years,” he added.

Five collages are missing from the wall because the tradition did not start until a few years after Fettig came to BHS. That was 25 years ago.

Fettig stood on the auditorium stage on a recent Friday morning in front of the 60-plus members of the school’s A Cappella Choir.

Striking a tuning fork against his stand, he took a moment to listen before humming a note. Raising his hands, the students quieted down and the soft-spoken man invited them to sing.

Fridays can sometimes be tough for students who are expected to stay focused after a busy week. But few people spend more time in school than the 48-year-old music director.

Fettig begins his Mondays at 6 a.m. so he can be at school by 7:30 a.m. While he does not have a class to teach before school, he is there to assist students who may need his help.

When the bell rings in the morning, Fettig directs the A Cappella Choir. After a brief prep session, he works with the ninth-grade varsity choir. For the last 90 minutes of the day he directs the Bel Canto girl’s choir.

After school, Fettig conducts the band of Vocalmotive, the school’s varsity show choir. He then directs the show choir singers until 5:30 p.m., before working with the Bemidji Boychoir until 6:15 p.m.