By Maggie Theel
Staff Writer
@magggggiee

Every day, Jared Stansel’s students are welcomed to class with songs ranging in genre from funky jazz to hard core metal. Stansel, an AP Psychology and International Baccalaureate (IB) Economics teacher at Coppell High School, has an enthusiasm for music that encourages his students to pursue their passions and expand their diverse interests.

He is not only a teacher, but also the drummer of a classic rock cover band named Big Tasty and the Moonshiners. The band performs songs of a variety of rock genres, including classic rock, rockabilly, blues rock and southern rock regularly at venues throughout Denton.

Growing up in Denton, Stansel played the drums in marching and jazz band. His childhood friend, Molly Carter, played the trumpet in band throughout middle and high school with Stansel, and they remained friends, keeping in touch after they graduated.

Four years ago, Carter and Stansel began talking with their friend Weston Thaggard, who sang for the University of North Texas choir, about the idea of starting a band.

“[The band] just developed naturally, it wasn’t like anyone was like actively trying to put a band together,” Stansel said, “It’s just that we kind of mentioned it in passing that it would kind of be a fun thing to do and the pieces just fell together.”

They found two more members, rhythm guitarist and bassist Chris Whiting and lead guitarist Andy Getson, who recently moved to Austin and was replaced by Jason White, and they all met in Stansel’s garage for the first rehearsal.

When it came to naming their band, the title ‘Big Tasty’ originated from lead singer Thaggard’s affectionate nickname and ‘the Moonshiners’ was inspired from other blues bands such as Hey Moonshiner.

The band played together for half a year and built up a good repertoire of rock songs before it began playing at local venues in Denton. As time went on, it gained popularity in the area and other places began asking Big Tasty and the Moonshiners to perform at their venues.

About a year ago, Stansel invited CHS IB English teacher Michael Vergien to join the band. Vergien taught himself to play the mandolin about five years ago. Initially, Stansel brought him into the band to play the mandolin for just one song, but after his first experience performing live, Vergien became a more permanent part of the band. Now, he plays the mandolin and the rhythm guitar for many of their songs.

Both Vergien and Stansel incorporate their musical interest in their classrooms. On several occasions, Vergien has used different methods of literary criticism to analyze the lyrics of songs by one of his favorite musical artists Cake with his IB English classes.

For Stansel’s class, music is more of an everyday occurrence; he frequently shares music that he enjoys with his students in hopes of piquing their interest.

“The music that he played in class, along with his energetic singing and dancing, would always make me smile and made it so that I could always look forward to his class,” CHS junior and former AP Psychology student Darby Shepard said. “Without a teacher like Mr. Stansel, I never would have had the courage to step outside of my comfort zone and get a taste for more than just the music I’m accustomed to.”

By sharing aspects of his life with his students, Stansel is able to offer encouragement to them based on his personal experiences. His determination to continue his passions outside of teaching is a source of inspiration to his students.

“The fact that Stansel pursues a music career, on top of his job and family, inspires me to venture after the things that I’m passionate about,” CHS junior and AP psychology student Deianna Madlambayan said.

Stansel motivates his students to explore new things by exposing them to many different genres of music that they may not have listened to otherwise. His student’s willingness to experience new music translates to trying anything new.

“I want kids to step out of their comfort zone in terms of the music that they listen to, in terms of everything,” Stansel said. “Because when we step out of our comfort zone, when we push ourselves to be uncomfortable, that’s when we learn. That’s where the beauty is, right? It’s how we adapt to these new situations and how we start to understand new kinds of music. It’s what can help us, maybe, start the process of opening our minds to new experiences.”