Music man: Sam Baltzer

If Rome ever wanted to have its own Music Man, Sam Baltzer would be the perfect choice.

Baltzer is the artistic director and conductor for Rome’s Own Musical Ensembles, which includes the Northwest Georgia Winds, the Clock Tower Jazz Ensemble, the Chamber Players of the South and the Ceilidh Celtic Ensemble.

He is quick to recall a favorite quote by American composer Bernard Rogers — “There’s no such thing as good music and bad music. There’s only honest and dishonest music.”

Baltzer’s fascination with, and adoration for, music started in childhood.

His mom required him — just like his four siblings — to take piano lessons with her, starting when he was in the third grade. He did not fall in love with the piano. And it was not an instrument that he continued to play as he got older.

But the brass section was a different story. Baltzer took up trombone, and in high school he joined a “soul band,” which played the hits of Motown.

“When I went to college I went as a math major,” Baltzer said. “I took music theory as an elective. It sounded interesting. It was my best class. I enjoyed it so much I switched my major to music. I just like to play music. It allowed me to play as part of my college career.”

When he completed his undergrad at the University of Missouri in St. Louis, Baltzer didn’t feel ready to teach music. He took a year off to play as a freelance musician before deciding that teaching other people how to teach music was the path he wanted to follow.

He attended the University of North Texas, where he earned his master’s of music education degree. He then went on to Indiana University where he completed his doctorate in music education.

Baltzer would inevitably end up at Shorter University — at that point Shorter College — in 1987 where, as director of music education, he started training future music teachers. Shorter was also where he started making his musical mark on his new adopted home of Rome by starting new groups to play for the community.

“I look around and sometimes there’s a need and I try to fill it,” he said.

For example, when Baltzer was studying and teaching at the Indiana University, he noticed there was no band for non-music majors. He requested permission from the university to start one and they agreed. The first rehearsal had about 15 people.

Baltzer made posters to promote the class. “Did you play in high school? Do you miss it?” the posters said.

The following rehearsal, 45 people showed up. The group grew to about 90 members and still exists as the University Band.

Likewise, when Baltzer arrived in Rome, there was no community band.

“I’ll start one,” he said. “And there was no jazz band. I started the Clock Tower band (Jazz Ensemble). It’s just kind of as the need arose. My main strength was I was willing to make phone calls and move chairs and music stands.”

“Sometimes music is the easy part,” Baltzer said with a smile.

He would go on to lead various other groups around Rome, including his time as artistic director and principal conductor of the Rome Symphony Orchestra.

Baltzer, who is 65 years young, shows no signs of slowing down.

He is in his sixth year teaching at Georgia Highlands College, where he started an associate’s degree program in music.

He is the administrator of R.O.M.E., which is a nonprofit corporation established in 2001 to oversee its four affiliate groups.

He insists he won’t be doing this forever, but it will likely be a long time before Baltzer puts down his pen and baton or stops playing the trombone or guitar or electric bass.

“When you get to making the music, it makes it all worth it,” Baltzer said.