Whether he is playing the valve trombone in his jazz band or talking about his beloved high school marching band, Clem Rolin is the consummate entertainer.
It's his passion for music and his knack for connecting with an audience that he first brought to South Fayette Township High School 13 years ago.
They are the traits he will leave with his students when he retires this June after 35 years in music education.
"He definitely loves music," said Courtney Irwin, a senior at South Fayette and the South Fayette Little Green Machine marching band president. "In class he explains (a musical piece) with such passion his eyes just light up. And when we get it right he says, 'Yes! Yes!' He gets so excited about music that it makes us love it, too."
Rolin developed his love of music as a child growing up in South Fayette. He remembered going to see South Fayette's Little Green Machine perform before ultimately joining the band when he got to high school.
He graduated from South Fayette in 1964 and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in music education and a master's degree in education from Duquesne University.
He went on to teach music in the Montour School District, first at the middle school for 15 years, then at the high school for seven years.
When the opportunity to return to South Fayette arose in 1990, Rolin said he felt a calling to do it.
The marching band's unique blend of music and dance hadn't changed since he was a student. He and his fellow alumni wanted to make sure it stayed that way.
"I was approached by another alum who said, 'One of us alums should take the job because the style of the band is up for grabs right now.' We're all really dedicated to upholding the tradition of this band," he said. "It just so happens that so many things fell in place that year or were difficult to deal with at Montour, and then I made a decision that maybe it's a calling to do that."
What he said he did bring to the band is his keen sense of what will please an audience, cultivated from his years of performing professionally.
The result is a 60-member band that combines its music and dance traditions with an upbeat sound and a spirited sense of humor.
Despite the humor and fun injected into each show, entertaining the audience is something Rolin takes seriously.
"I always say to the kids. 'This is a spiritual experience. We have 10 minutes of their life to uplift them. We have 10 minutes and now's the time,' " he said.
And it works.
Under Rolin's direction, the band has performed in parades and festivals across the country, garnering a number of awards.
"Everybody likes energy. Everybody likes to see energy on the field. And dedication. They like to see young people giving their full effort and enjoying themselves," Rolin said. "If we're having a good time, people just jump on to the enthusiasm."
In addition to running the band program at South Fayette, Rolin also serves as band director for Robert Morris University. He plans to continue with that after he retires from South Fayette.
What he says he'll miss most, however, is conducting the school's concert band.
"The literature we play here is just incredible. That's what I'm going to miss, working that out with the kids," he said. "Sure, they like the audience they get with the marching band, but to get the kids to love to play really great music ... that's what I'm really going to miss."
Still, Rolin said it's time to go.
"Thirty-five years -- enough Friday night football games, enough cold rain, enough sun at band camp," Rolin said. "I've spent an entire year of my life at football games. I've spent four years of my life at band camp. ... I've done it all." Additional Information:
