Our love for music educators runs deep.
We’re inspired by them, we’re thrilled to serve them, we’re only here because of them.
And we consistently hire them.
We’re honored that so many veteran music educators have chosen to join our team as they shift from serving students in the classroom to serving their fellow educators as performance travel planners. Today, we’re excited to share a few of their stories.
How did you join the BRT team?
As a choir director, I was a BRT client. I loved the service I received as a client, and my students loved their trips. As a client, I saw the high quality of the company and its employees, so I was excited to join a team of over-achievers who had a clear vision of serving their clients and groups. As I learned more about my role of Travel Consultant, I was excited that every day would be different and that there would be room for creativity. – Terri Jo Fox, former Choral Music Director
I heard about BRT in college when discussing group travel companies and then one of the schools I taught at in Wisconsin traveled with BRT for an Orlando trip. I ended up planning the FastPasses and dining reservations for the other directors and myself and I thought I might be interested in diving in a bit deeper. I reached out to a local rep when I moved to Chicago. – Dave Hamilton, former Band Director
During my 33-year career as a public-school music educator I coordinated 22 national and international performance tours. I met Bob Rogers early in my teaching tenure, and over the years became a loyal client. When it was time to retire from the teaching profession, I knew that I wanted to continue contributing to a field that provides learning opportunities to students through performance travel. – Brayer Teague, former Music Educator and Fine Arts Administrator
In my 6th year as a band director, I took my band down to Orlando and we performed at Disney World. BRT was the travel company that I used to plan that experience and we had a fantastic trip. I’ve always loved traveling and I thought that it was such an interesting, niche career. It linked music and travel, two of my passions. So, when a job opened for a Travel Consultant, I applied, and the rest is history! – David Brachmann, former Middle and High School Band Director
What’s the most meaningful part of your role?
I have always felt it was important – as a music educator – to invest time and energy into arts advocacy. Marketing the positive impact of performing arts education to community members and program stakeholders is central to any advocacy mission. I am happy to be a part of a Marketing Team that recognizes we have an opportunity, as a company, to amplify the wonderful work that educators are doing through social media! – Brayer Teague
I love the relationships I get to build with my directors. I love that I get to take some of the hard work off their plates so that they can dream big and give their students a trip of a lifetime. By serving my directors, I enjoy that I still get to give back to students, even though I’m no longer in the classroom. – Terri Jo Fox
The most meaningful part of my role is hearing from directors after the trip. I love it when they share their excitement about the experiences and memories that they were able to make with their students. I know from my own experiences that travel changes lives and broadens horizons. I love hearing that we’re manifesting those experiences for thousands of students every year. – David Brachmann
What surprised you about BRT after you joined?
I think the most surprising thing that I realized about BRT after joining is how many hands are involved in every single trip. There are multiple checks and reviews of every trip by numerous different team members to make sure that everything goes smoothly. You might be working with one or two main contacts, but there are countless others reviewing things behind the scenes. – David Brachmann
Even though many processes and procedures are streamlined across the team, it surprised me that Todd and Tami leave room for each of us to do things a little bit differently. As a teacher who was often micro-managed by my bosses, I admire our leadership who respects that each of us do our best work in a unique way, and we’re encouraged to share what works for us, but no one is forced to do everything one way. – Terri Jo Fox
Share a memorable moment from your time with BRT.
One that stands out was right here in Chicago. I was able to catch a performance of a client choir trip from California here at The Field Museum. During the performance, the choir brought me up to the front, sat me in a chair and proceeded to serenade me! They were such a talented choir, and it was so fun to see them in action! – Dave Hamilton
I think of all the friendships that I’ve made since starting here which have now been filled with memorable moments. I’ve been to colleagues’ weddings, had game nights, attended kids’ band concerts, participated in countless potlucks, gone bowling and mini golfing. There are memories and friendships that I’ve built here that I’ll have for life. – David Brachmann
BRT is currently home to 20 former music educators, each bringing the passion and enthusiasm that inspired students both in the classroom and on the stage. The experience and empathy these veteran educators bring allows them to anticipate the needs of the directors we serve and dream up exceptional experiences for students. They’re invaluable members of our team and make all the difference in the work we do!
