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By Brooke Turbyfill
Southern Spirit staff
Nick Simmons-Smith became territorial music and
creative arts education secretary on Feb. 3, 2009,
replacing Dr. Richard E. Holz, who retired after 30
years in that post. Simmons-Smith is a fifth-generation Salvationist from the United Kingdom. He studied music composition at Colchester Institute of Music, earning a bachelor of arts degree in 1997 and a post graduate certificate of education on 2003.
Major Frank Duracher of the Southern Spirit staff
recently interviewed Simmons-Smith about his goals
to build upon a music department that is already the envy of the Salvation Army world.
SS: Tell me about your background.
NSS: I grew up in a family-oriented corps in Chelmsford, England – about 40 miles northeast of London. I participated in all sections of the corps, every night of the week, really. So I was very active in the youth band, singing company, senior band, songsters and corps cadets.
My father was a fine trombonist and conductor, my mother was a vocal soloist and my grandfather was an enthusiastic musical leader, so it was perhaps predictable that I would follow in their footsteps. My family was very involved in the corps, so naturally
the time I spent at the corps was very important – although I must admit that music played a critical role from my early years on.
My great-great-grandfather was saved when he was in a pub and he saw the Salvation Army band march by on their way to an open-air meeting. He followed them and was gloriously converted that day. Our family has been an Army family ever since.
SS: How has music played a role in your life’s work?
NSS: Well, as a child I began learning to play trombone, piano, and later the string bass, and continued studying throughout my teen years and into college. After I graduated from Colchester, I answered an ad in the Salvationist (U.K.) for a position here in
the States in the Texas Division.
Jim Anderson came to Chelmsford to interview me, and I was hired as a divisional music director in 1998. I taught music in corps throughout that great division until I returned to England in 2002, where I worked as a peripatetic teacher, ran a music school, qualified as
a teacher and taught music at a high school.
In 2004, I moved back to the U.S. to work at the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex Command to manage five School for Performing Arts programs operated by the Army. In 2006, I moved back over to divisional headquarters as deputy divisional music director.
I came to territorial headquarters in 2008 as music publishing and marketing specialist.
SS: Now that you have become the new territorial music and creative arts education
secretary, you replace Dr. Holz, who is a living legend in the South. Is that intimidating to you?
NSS: This is a dream job. I never thought I would be asked to do this, and certainly not at my age. I would have been happy at my (former) position another 10 years. I love to write and publish music, but there is no other department like this around the (Army) world and I’m honored to be promoted to this position. I’m 34 now, and this will be my last job, so
by the time I retire I will have given about as many years as Dr. Holz has, so I know I have big shoes to fill.
I don’t feel intimidated because I’m surrounded by such a great staff. I’m excited about the challenges. Things are running very well; Dr. Holz has brought the program up in every area. For instance, Territorial Music Institute (TMI) has grown to about 250 kids attending – when 15 years ago it was running about 150. Dr. Holz has done great work and so I’m not going to “change the world!”
I’ve inherited a great program and a very competent staff. But I am conscious that he is a
musical icon in the Army world and that my work is cut out for me.
SS: What are some of the goals you’ve set for your department?
NSS: I want this department to be known for resourcing the territory. We want to aid the DMDs and corps in the field in their presentations of worship however and wherever we can.
I’m really keen on blended worship, using our traditional music forces as well as creative arts and also our contemporary music groups. I like the multigenerational blend of corps worship through the many mediums of music and creative arts.
The corps and divisional music programs are really “where the rubber meets the road,” and this department will strive to be a resource to them. We want also to build on the success of TMI and Worship Arts Retreat, and to continue becoming more diverse in the creative arts program. Kids these days want to do hip-hop and lyrical dance – so it’s not only
band and timbrels anymore.
Other areas of music education will be emphasized as well: leadership training, piano instruction, music theory and conservatories. We will continue this territory’s prominent role in publications for our traditional Salvation Army music forces.
Finally, we want to support the mission of the Army in any way we can. Many young people struggle spiritually and I see the music and creative arts forces as playing a critical role in first attracting young people to the corps, and then holding on to them.
SS: It’s apparent that you have a heart for the youth of our territory. Why is that?
NSS: When I was a youth in the Chelmsford Corps, my Y.P. Bandmaster was David Hayward. He was a silver-haired older man, and many called him “impatient” in his music instruction to us because he wanted results and he wanted to see us grow, musically and spiritually.
I observed him for years and learned a great lesson. Without fail, for every practice we had, he was always there before anyone else arrived, and he would be sitting in his chair waiting for us and greeting each one of us when we walked into the corps hall. He wanted
that personal connection – he didn’t want to be just “that music guy.”
So it’s important to me to address the spiritual issues of the group. The musical part of the job is fairly small in comparison to the ministry.
I want to be as successful to others as Bandmaster Hayward was in my life.
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