Ed Fitzgerald: From Pre-Med Student to Music Teacher and Military Man

Hilda Walker Beginning Band Director Ed Fitzgerald took his first trumpet lessons as a student at Frankfort Square

Ed Fitzgerald took his first trumpet lessons as a student at Frankfort Square School. 

Now in his first year as the Beginning Band Director at Hilda Walker Intermediate School, Fitzgerald has returned home to Summit Hill School District 161. 

Fitzgerald grew up in Frankfort Square and attended Frankfort Square School through fourth grade, taking his first trumpet lessons with Miss Luce, now known as Mrs. Coughlin. The Summit Hill Junior High band director, now in her 42nd year of teaching in SHSD161 schools, remembers his days as a student.

“Even from the beginning, he was very earnest,” remembers Coughlin. “Some kids were goofy and just wanted to honk on the instrument, but he took it seriously. He was the one that always came prepared. He was the one that would always be at rehearsal and never missed. He always gave 100 percent.”

Fitzgerald attended a parochial school for fifth grade and the first half of sixth grade before returning to Summit Hill Junior High, then housed in what is currently known as the Mary Drew Administrative Center. He later attended the Lincoln-Way East Campus for his freshman and sophomore years, and Central Campus for his junior and senior years.

Always a good student who loved band, Fitzgerald began his college career as a pre-med student at the University of Chicago, forsaking time spent playing his trumpet for his studies. He finished his freshman year but decided mid-way through that music was where he wanted to be. 

“I missed band so much,” remembered Fitzgerald, who lived for marching band while in high school. “That was the defining moment for me. The sun came out and I realized that this is what I’m supposed to do. I wanted to teach, and I wanted to be a music teacher.”

Fitzgerald transferred to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and earned his Bachelor of Music Education degree. He then taught fourth through eighth grade band at LaGrange Highlands School for four years. While there, he also completed a master’s degree program in Music Education at Northwestern University while volunteering to teach high school marching band during the summers. 

By the summer of 2005, he was wearing thin. 

“I was feeling burned out, and I missed trumpet,” said Fitzgerald. “Because I was teaching fourth through eighth grades, my focus was on what seemed like everything but trumpet, and I really missed it.”

“I was thinking about the military because I have a lot of military in my family,” added Fitzgerald. “My grandfather was in the Navy during WWII, my dad was in the Army in Viet Nam, and a younger brother was in the Navy. Plus an uncle and a cousin were in the Army, another uncle and a cousin were both in the Marines, and yet another cousin was in the Coast Guard. There was something about the military that was calling me to it, and I was trying to discern how to do that – or if should I do it. I was 28 going on 29 so if I was going to do it, it was going to be then.”

Fitzgerald decided to take a sabbatical from teaching and walk a different path for a while, auditioning to play trumpet in the United States Navy. He was accepted, enlisted soon after, and was in boot camp that December. He spent five years playing trumpet in the Navy Fleet Band Program, traveling the world to perform. 

“It was a chance to step away, but also to redevelop my love of playing and making music again,” reflected Fitzgerald, who now plays cornet – a slightly shorter, more mellow-sounding version of the trumpet – for the Chicago Brass Band. “I was able to serve my country while making great music with some incredible people in some amazing places. It was a fantasy.”

Fitzgerald did well, being promoted to the rank of Petty Officer Second Class during his time in the Navy.

“But I always viewed it as a sabbatical – a time away from teaching – and ultimately, I felt called back to the classroom,” recollected Fitzgerald. “When I had all but decided to come back to teaching, I was on leave and home visiting my family in Frankfort Square and I reached out to Mrs. Coughlin. We had coffee and talked about me coming back into teaching and she shared some of her experiences.” 

“I don’t remember my words or advice exactly, but I remember saying you’ve got a gift at doing this and if you find the right place, you can make an impact. It’s amazing now he’s here,” said Coughlin. “He always appreciated music for music’s sake. Some kids are in band for the social aspect, and some kids were in it because their parents made them, but he was always in it because he wanted to play, and he wanted to be the best he could be.”

After leaving the Navy, Fitzgerald taught middle school band in Steger for 11 years before returning home to Summit Hill this summer. 

“It really hit home during the interview process when I was sitting in the office of the superintendent because I was sitting not only in the old building, but I was not far from where the band room used to be when I started, so I had goose bumps while I was sitting there,” recalled Fitzgerald. “It really hit home then, and it was reaffirming. This was the right decision in every way. This is the way it’s supposed to go.”

“That beginning band director job is such an important position,” added Coughlin. “If you don’t have someone starting them right, it’s a mess. You need someone who can really connect with kids, and he always did. I was so glad to see him wanting to bring that here. It’s a perfect fit for him coming back home, and I’m just so glad he’s here.”

“Seeing the light turn on when they finally understand a concept, or how to read music, and it all comes together – seeing that happen in kids is awesome and that’s what I love so much. And that’s what I ultimately missed,” said Fitzgerald. “And now that my focus is solely on teaching beginners, it’s my dream job! Seeing them go from squeaks and squawks to actual notes and songs is just the best!”