Usually found in the choir room rehearsing his various choirs, working with singers in the variety show, or in the library, helping students who struggle with executive functioning skills is Dan Gregerman, Vocal Director of Scat That and Da Capo and Instructional Assistant for the Grit Lab. But there is one place that you may not think to look: the bookshelf.
The Music Educator’s Rescue Kit, published in 2025 by Meredith Music Productions, is Gregerman’s new book. The book is a guide for new music teachers, covering skills they may not have learned during their music education, but will most likely need in the classroom, Gregerman said.
“The book covers many topics in small, concise ways,” Gregerman said. “There’s a lot of things that colleges don’t have time to teach, that teachers [can] only get through experience [teaching].”
The Music Educator’s Rescue Kit is not Gregerman’s first book. In January 2023, Meredith Music Publications asked Gregerman to edit and write a chapter for their book Rehearsing the Vocal Jazz Ensemble, he said.
“It became a good seller and [the publisher] liked what I did,” Gregerman said. “People are still using it and buying it. Because of that, [the publisher] was interested in my next idea, The Music Educator’s Rescue Kit.”
The book is a paperback with six chapters detailing various topics including classroom management, routines, administration, and development.
“The Music Educator’s Rescue Kit was an opportunity to reach a bigger audience than just the students I was teaching,” Gregerman said.
An experienced teacher, Gregerman has been in education for 40 years. After teaching for 35 years at Niles North High School, he came to South when he was hired to direct Scat That, Choir Director Robby Shellard said.
“He is the guru of vocal jazz,” Shellard said. “A lot of professionals in the music education realm go to [him] when they need help.”
Scat That is the smallest and most advanced vocal jazz ensemble here at South, senior Charlie League, Tenor/Bass Section Leader of Scat That, said. Vocal jazz is difficult, so Gregerman ensures the group has the perfect sound through detailed and thorough practices, League added.
“He’s a renowned jazz teacher,” League said. “He’s very nitpicky, but that makes us really good.”
A big part of Gregerman’s inspiration comes from his students, he said.
“I’m constantly learning from my students,” Gregerman said. “Everything [teachers] do causes a reaction and sometimes [we] don’t get it right the first time. [My knowledge] is all based on [my] experience in the workplace.”