Mr. T: The Coolest Dude on Vistamar’s Campus

Without a doubt, Mr. T is the unsung hero of Vistamar’s events and performance. From Taste of Vistamar performances to every Morning Meeting to Open Houses for admissions, Mr. T plays a crucial role in the behind-the-scenes action that makes Vistamar events unforgettable. 

Mr. Alex Tauber is Vistamar’s Technical Director and a Vistamar Performing Arts (VPA) faculty member. As a technical director, Mr. T oversees all the lights, sound, and live streaming for Vistamar events and performances. Additionally, Mr. T teaches the Theatre Production and Digital Composition Audio Technology (DCAT) classes. 

Growing up in a family of music enthusiasts, Mr. T has always been surrounded by music. His family plays everything from the drums to the flute to the trumpet. Throughout his life, he has been in many different bands spanning various genres. Versatile could be Mr. T’s middle name because his band experience includes everything from playing the drums in a punk rock band called The Miracle Mile to playing banjo in a bluegrass band called the Green Blossom String Band. Mr. T’s bands often had to set up their own equipment, which led him to learn about setting up mics and amps, working a soundboard, and recording music, among many other things.

Mr. T’s favorite part of playing music is playing with other people. “No words need to be spoken. You just get to jam,” Mr. T says. He loves seeing the smiles on people’s faces as they listen to the music. Mr. T loves to play the drums, but when his family is trying to sleep, he enjoys playing the banjo. “It is such a human instrument,” says Mr. T.  

Mr. T approaches teaching with the philosophy that students will get out what they put in. In his classes, he teaches the music techniques and skills a student needs to complete a project and then leaves it in the hands of his students to create a project they feel proud of. Mr. T says, “You’re in charge of your own learning.” Additionally, Mr. T emphasizes the importance of having fun while learning music. What is most important is that the student wants to keep engaging with music, even when facing challenges. “You’ll get just as much theory from Taylor Swift as you would Betoveen,” says Mr. T. 

Mr. T got into teaching because “I hate money,” as he says. Joking aside, Mr. T got into teaching to be the teacher he needed when he was growing up for his students. Mr. T got his degree in music education from Cal State, Dominguez Hills. Funnily enough, he missed Dr. Jason Gamer, Vistamar’s Music Director, by a year before Dr. Gamer joined as a faculty member. Mr. T got his music education degree with an emphasis on percussion instruments. The main focus of his program was learning the pedagogy behind teaching music. Over the course of his coursework, Mr. T learned how to play brass instruments, woodwinds, and string instruments, among many other instruments. It is safe to say Mr. T is your go-to guy for all instruments-related questions. As a teacher, he loves watching students work through the problems they face as they become stronger musicians. “I like watching the a-ha moments when a student understands, and it clicks,” says Mr. T. 

As the technical director, Mr. T has spent a lot of late nights running tech in the booth for Vistamar performances and events. When asked about how he makes it through tech week, he said, “Laugh now, cry later.” It is a neverending game of “Is it plugged in? Who turned this off? Where are the good batteries?” But, despite the challenges, his philosophy for surviving tech weeks is to remember that it always works out by the performance, even if it seems like nothing is going right during rehearsals. At the end of the day, it is important to stay flexible and solve one problem at a time. 

Outside of school, Mr. T enjoys spending time with his family and going to the beach or the skate park with his kids. Mr. T enjoys playing in his family band made up of him on guitar, his son on drums, his daughter on vocals, and his wife as their number one fan. Or, he can be found driving in his iconic 1987 Volzwagon Vanigon, Goldie.  “She’s a goldie but a goodie,” he says. 

It is safe to say that Mr. T is the coolest dude on campus!

Photo Credit: Cliff Williams