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The son of two respected music teachers, Brian and Jan Knutson, it only makes sense he might follow a similar path.

A 2011 graduate of Parker High School, the younger Knutson returned to his alma mater this year to become the schoolÃÛèÖÊÓƵ new music director after his mother retired last year.

But Matthew KnutsonÃÛèÖÊÓƵ bona fides speak for themselves: Bachelor of Arts in choral music education from Luther College; Masters of Arts in music education from the University of St. Thomas; nominated as the 2019 Schmitt MusicÃÛèÖÊÓƵ Educator of the Year; Luther College Music Excellence Award; member of Magnum Chorum, a semi-professional choir in Minneapolis and more.

To give his voice the occasional break, Knutson also was a standout tennis player at Parker, earned Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honorable mention recognition as a member of the Luther College menÃÛèÖÊÓƵ team and also has coached at the high school level.

In addition to his parents and two brothers, Jeff and Jason, MatthewÃÛèÖÊÓƵ family includes his wife, Maggie, who is a school counselor at Jefferson Elementary School in Janesville.

To learn more about Knutson, Parker and the schoolÃÛèÖÊÓƵ upcoming music productions, visit or search for the Parker High School Musicals page on .

1. Your mother, Jan, preceded you in your current position as music director at Parker High School. Does that create any added pressure to do a good job? Not at all. I feel fortunate to be able to join and continue to build a fantastic program and work with such awesome students. I am really proud to have parents who have been so successful at building a strong choral and musical program at Parker High School. My parents are some of my biggest mentors, but I also have shaped my own teaching methods from other choir directors, mentors and experiences I have had leading up to this. I look forward to building on an already fantastic program, especially with the Parker Arts Academy starting next year. (EditorÃÛèÖÊÓƵ note: KnutsonÃÛèÖÊÓƵ mother, Jan, is coordinator for the Parker Arts Academy).

2. What is your philosophy when it comes to teaching music? To help students become lifelong music makers and create a learning environment that consistently pushes students to be their best. Students need to build confidence in their own voices and understand that developing their music skills is a process (just like everything in life). This means facilitating a culture where students enjoy singing together, are proud of their work each day and can explain why they are proud of their work. My hope is that by the end of their high school singing careers, students learn to appreciate the music of other cultures and support the success of others.

3. People would be surprised to find out that I: Have been on a choir tour through Namibia and South Africa. It was a life-changing, January-term course while I was studying at Luther College. That experience really opened me to the importance of multicultural music and why music is so important to everyone in the world.

4. You’re a Parker High graduate. WhatÃÛèÖÊÓƵ it like coming back to teach at your alma mater? ItÃÛèÖÊÓƵ been so cool, and honestly, it gets better every day! The Parker staff has been really welcoming. ItÃÛèÖÊÓƵ fun and interesting that some of my former Parker classmates are now my colleagues at the high school.

5. You played tennis in both high school and college and later coached high-schoolers. Was it more fun to play or coach? I’ll say itÃÛèÖÊÓƵ a tie. I definitely had lots of fun playing tennis in high school and college. The bond you make with your teammates over four years is the coolest part. But, as a coach, I really enjoy seeing the day-to-day development of each player and building the strategy of each playerÃÛèÖÊÓƵ game.

6. While you were in college, you traveled across Europe and to Africa. Do you enjoy travel and, if so, what is the No. 1 place on your bucket list? I love traveling and learning about other cultures, especially their music traditions, which are all so different. My No.-1 bucket list stop would be to travel through Norway and other Scandinavian countries because I have heard it is beautiful, and my family has Norwegian roots.

7. What is your all-time favorite food, and what is one that you wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot fork? My favorite food is chicken Marsala, and I always have it on my birthday to celebrate. I think pickles, olives and tuna are absolutely disgusting. Yuck!

8. Your first project as musical director at Parker, a presentation of “Oklahoma!,â€� opens this weekend. What have you learned from the process as an instructor that you couldn’t have imagined as a student? As a student, I didn’t realize all of the preparation and details that go into putting on a musical performance. Parker musicals have a great team of directors, and itÃÛèÖÊÓƵ fun to brainstorm ideas with them. I was also surprised to find how fulfilling it is to see how students develop their characters from beginning musical rehearsals to performances.

9. If you could learn to do anything, what would it be? I wish I could learn how to fly. I could easily travel to so many places and see the world and also be a bit of a superhero.

10. Can you play any instruments, or do you consider your voice to be your instrument? My main instrument is my voice, but I find piano very relaxing and love to continue working on my piano skills. I also played trumpet in band at Parker, and I really enjoyed that.

11. If you weren’t teaching music as a vocation, what do you think you would be doing instead? I find lots of fulfillment working with people and seeing their development, so I’d probably be a college tennis coach.

12. I’m kind of ashamed to admit it, but I really like the music of: I’m not ashamed of any music that I listen to, but people might be surprised to know I really like to listen to pop and rap music.

13. Name a person in history you would like to meet, and why? I would love to meet Mozart and talk with him about how and why he wrote the music he did.

14. I know you can sing and play tennis, but have you ever done any acting? As a student at Parker, I was involved in all of the musicals. I also did some opera scenes in college. I found I enjoyed directing as much or more than being on stage.

15. Many times, educational budget cuts affect music and the arts. State your case as to why those two subjects are particularly essential for todayÃÛèÖÊÓƵ youth? ItÃÛèÖÊÓƵ important for students to get a well-rounded education, and the School District of Janesville supports those opportunities. The benefits of music and the arts are so important for academic and social development. Students involved in the arts test higher in other courses. Music ensembles and extracurricular activities in the arts teach students to be a part of a community, build a positive culture and use their creativity beyond their high school years. ItÃÛèÖÊÓƵ not the case in every district, but I feel Janesville and Parker support these programs well, too.

16. Sitcoms, reality TV or documentaries? Sitcoms FOR SURE. I’ve watched “The Officeâ€� at least 20 times through/ Maybe thatÃÛèÖÊÓƵ obsessive, but it brings good vibes. I love watching other humor shows.

17. Name a popular actor/singer/artist that doesn’t particularly appeal to you. Country music, but lots of my friends are big fans of country singers, so I’ve learned to put up with it.

18. When I think about it, the single coolest thing that has ever happened to me is: I don’t know if I could pinpoint one single coolest thing, but I sang the national anthem at the Wisconsin vs. Minnesota menÃÛèÖÊÓƵ basketball game for the past two years. I’m a huge Badgers basketball fan.

19. Do you have any useless talents? During quarantine, I learned how to chip a ping pong ball into a cup pretty well.

20. On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the most, how competitive are you? I’ll give myself a 9 out of 10. I’ve had competition ingrained in my brain with having two older brothers who are 7 inches taller than me, so I’ve always had a chip on my shoulder to outsmart them. But, I’ve learned to appreciate good competition and other peopleÃÛèÖÊÓƵ successes.

EditorÃÛèÖÊÓƵ note: Kicks presents 20Q, a feature that introduces readers to people involved in the areaÃÛèÖÊÓƵ arts and entertainment community. Compiled by kicks Editor Greg Little, each piece will include a short bio, photo and answers to questions that provide insight into not only that personÃÛèÖÊÓƵ artistic interests but also his or her unique personality.