Christopher T. F. Hanson, San Marcos High School, San Marcos
On November 2, 2015, State Representative Jason Isaac joined Humanities Texas staff member Sam Moore to present Christopher T. F. Hanson with his 2015 Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities Award at San Marcos High School.
Hanson teaches both pre-AP and AP music theory at San Marcos High School and serves as orchestra director for San Marcos CISD, overseeing the program on three campuses: Miller Middle School, Goodnight Middle School, and San Marcos High School. Through his leadership and dedication to music education in the San Marcos community, Hanson was instrumental in bringing the orchestra program to San Marcos CISD schools almost four years ago.
Throughout the school year, Hanson emphasizes to his students that the study of music is both rooted in the performance arts and the humanities. To Hanson, music is not only a vital form of expression, but also a documentation of the human experience throughout history.
"As an outstanding role model, Mr. Hanson brings passion and dedication to his art as an accomplished violinist, composer, researcher, and teacher," said San Marcos CISD Superintendent Mark E. Eads. "San Marcos CISD is fortunate to have him on our team as an educator."
Hanson's students listen to the works of notable composers, explore the lives of those individuals, and examine the cultural contexts in which they created music. His AP music theory students participate in a yearlong project in which they analyze how musical traditions are shaped by social, political, and personal pressures throughout time.
"I push my students to construct the meaning of their experiences and thus further author their own identities and understanding of the world," said Hanson. "My greatest accomplishments as a teacher have been the sense of enlightenment and intellectual freedom expressed by my students after taking one of my courses."
On receiving the award, Hanson said the following: "I am truly honored. It means more than I can express in words. Moments like this are an amazing reminder that what I am doing is making a difference and worth recognizing."