Meet Mr. Albert Bade, who goes back with us to the early days of Hope for Miami.
Q: It’s great reconnecting with you again after all these years! Tell us what you’re doing these days and how you were involved with Hope for Miami “back in the day."
I’m Alberto Bade and currently, I'm the Orchestral Director at Miami Dade College North Campus. In 2004, I was a student at MDC and became a music tutor at Hope for Miami’s after school program at my home church, Iglesia Buen Pastor. I was also able to teach music at some of the other after school sites around Miami.
Q: What was that experience like for you?
It was my first music teaching experience. And I quickly realized that the best way to learn how to teach was to actually do it! My time there enabled me to get organized and put teaching “systems” in place. It really was the beginning of my future career in music.
Q: Tell us how you used your gifts and abilities to serve kids during that time.
One of my goals was to keep the students engaged each afternoon in what we were doing. So I began using my different skills to improvise with them, whether they were singing, playing piano, drumming or whatever.
Q: Did any of the youth you worked with show interest in learning more about music?
Well, one thing I noticed as time went on is that some of the students really didn't want to leave the after-school program at the end of the day. Also, I provided tutoring lessons to some of the kids and a few of them became involved,musically, in their own churches.
Q: Where you are now with your career or accomplishments?
I got a two-year degree at MDC and finished my Bachelor and Masters Degrees in Music at the University of Miami. Then, in 2011, I attended graduate school at the Juilliard School of Music in New York where I earned a Diploma in Conducting. Soon after that, I got a call from Miami Dade College asking me to become their Orchestral Director. That was ten years ago! I had to build the program from scratch. Along with conducting orchestra, I also teach music theory along with other classes. One thing worth mentioning is that our school has won five Emmy Awards for our performances! We initially submitted one of our performances to them and we were nominated for an award and from there we've won six more Awards.