Grant Mathews, director of bands for Great Bend High School, can be seen leading the Great Bend City Band this summer at the band shell in Jack Kilby Square.

Mathews came to Great Bend in the fall of 2019.

“I participated in the City Band my first summer here,” he said. Then he was asked to take over the conducting duties. “Unfortunately, COVID hit, so we didn’t have a season in 2020. We then were able to have one concert in 2021, so this is only my second full season conducting the City Band, in 2022 and this summer. It is nice to be back in full swing again, and having concerts.”

A Salina native, Mathews is the son of a Vietnam War veteran. His father passed away three years ago and now his mother lives at Riverbend here in Great Bend. He graduated from Salina Central in 1997 and attended Fort Hays State University for his undergraduate degree in music education. He later earned a Master’s in Music Education from K-State.

In addition to directing the GBHS bands, Mathews teaches students in grades 6-12 throughout the school district. At present, he is the high school band chair of the Southwest Kansas Music Educators Association (SWKMEA). He was the SWKMEA Outstanding Music Educator for elementary schools in 2014-2015 when he was at Liberal.

“I just finished my 20th year in education,” he said. He taught at Otis-Bison for three years and then spent 13 years in Liberal before coming here four years ago.

“I wanted to get back closer to Salina to be near family as my parents were getting older,” he said. “I had heard about the position here at the high school, and surprisingly it was still available. Knowing that Great Bend had a rich history and good program, I applied. I was hired and had a warm reception from the administration, staff, students and community.

“Don Regehr being at the middle school and helping at the high school was a big part of why I took the position,” he added. “I had known him and respected his bands for a long time, so I knew I would have a great colleague to work with. He is a wonderful teacher; even I learn from him every day.

“Being here allowed me to be close to family and to spend time and help out my parents. I had also started my career up the road at Otis-Bison, so I knew the area well. It has been a good fit!”

Grant and his wife Lauren will celebrate their first anniversary next month. On July 16, 2022, they were married in a traditional Lutheran ceremony in Salina, followed by receptions in Lindsborg, Kansas, and Magnolia, Delaware. They do not have children yet but are hoping to start a family.

“I am a Lutheran and a member of Our Savior here in Great Bend. However, my wife and I also split time between St. John Lutheran in Ellinwood and Heartland Church (in Great Bend), to allow for service times and activities that help us meet God’s calling in our life together. We enjoy such a supportive Christian community.”

Other musical connections

Mathews is also a professional musician and plays in two bands based out of Salina. One is an eclectic original rock band called “Joe’s Pet Project” that also functions as a cover band under the name “Dunebuggy.” The second group is an alternative rock duo called “Cue the Raven.”

He has been on staff at Barton Community College as an adjunct percussion instructor for the past three years.

“I play the drums whenever I can,” he said. “I also enjoy restoring older vintage drums.” He also lists golf as a hobby, but says he doesn’t get to play as often as he would like.

“My duties as band director keep me very busy, so I don’t have a lot of time to devote to other entities, but working with the Great Bend City Band has been a great connection to the community!” he said. “I also play in groups at the college as needed. I do participate in annual events as well. One that has a long-running tradition in Kansas is the Flat Land Big Band. It is a group of musicians, mostly band directors and area musicians, that get together once a year to put on a concert, and continue the pursuit and enjoyment of music making. It currently takes place in Scott City the first week of May.”

Rose Parade

Mathews was selected to join a marching band in the Pasadena Rose Parade on Jan. 1, 2022. The band, made up of 270 band directors from the U.S. and Mexico, accompanied a colorful, animated float from the Saluting America’s Band Directors project along the 5.5-mile parade route, performing the song “Seventy-Six Trombones.” He played the tenor drums.

Great Bend connections

Although he is relatively new to Great Bend, Mathews has known many folks from the area for a long time. “Some were teachers at the High Plains Band Camp in Hays when I was a camper, teaching colleagues and acquaintances, other FHSU alums that I graduated with – some now have kids in my band,” he said. “I played at the Jazz Festival here 22 years ago with FHSU Jazz Band with jazz legends Frank Mantooth and Kevin Mahogany, and I frequented Great Bend when I was teaching at Otis-Bison.” He is also a cousin to Dale Hogg, managing editor of the Great Bend Tribune.

Mathews describes Great Bend as a quiet place with a relaxed feeling. “It’s a small community, but still has the things you need. We are the hub of a wheel. It’s only one-two hours in any direction to get to somewhere when you need to – Salina, McPherson, Hutch, Wichita, Pratt, Dodge City, Garden City, Hays – so it’s never too far from anywhere. That’s a huge benefit! It would be nice to see us reverse that flow and have all those people coming here for things.”

And then, there are Great Bend’s musical traditions.

“We have a great band history, with many great musicians and conductors in our lineage, the oldest community band in Kansas, and the Argonne Rebels Drum Corps from back in the day. It’s an honor to be part of that history. To have a high school band concert and see three or four former directors in the audience is a pretty neat thing!”

Community Connections is a regular feature of the Great Bend Tribune. We welcome readers to submit names of individuals who are active in the community that they would like to see featured in a future story. Send suggestions to news@gbtribune.com and explain their “community connections.”