Words by Jenny Lynn Davis | Images by Nick Rizzo
Staff Sergeant Matthew Meadows, a Jasper native and member of The United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” recently spoke to students from Jasper High School and Jasper Junior High School about perseverance, mentorship, and finding purpose.
Meadows, a 2014 graduate of Walker High School, returned home as part of an educational outreach tour that also included stops at the University of Alabama and in Tennessee.
“This was the only high school I wanted to go to on this tour because this is home,” Meadows said.
Now stationed at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in the Washington, D.C., area, Meadows serves with The United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” whose mission includes connecting the Army to the civilian population through music. During his remarks, he shared details about both his career and the personal challenges he faced along the way.
Meadows told students he did not come from a perfect situation. Raised by his grandmother, he said he never met his father and that his mother was not heavily involved in his life. He also spoke openly about the struggles he faced in school, including failing his first algebra class at Walker High School.
He said support from mentors helped him move forward, especially through band. Meadows credited former Jasper band director Curtis Burttram and current assistant band director Jonathan DeLoach with encouraging him during difficult times.
“You have your teachers, you have your counselors, you have your principals, you have all these people that are important to your development and your growth,” Meadows said. “When you get to a certain point in life where you have to make a decision, you should surround yourself with mentors and teachers and ask questions and put yourself in the best situation to create a great life.”
After high school, Meadows attended The University of Alabama, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in music education and a master’s degree in horn performance. He told students that he also faced setbacks in college, including failing a music theory class during his first year. Instead of quitting, he said, he reached out for help and kept going.
As of early March 2026, Meadows said, he successfully defended his doctorate and is now officially “Doctor Meadows.”
“There is always a way forward and there’s always something great to be a part of,” he told students.
Meadows also spoke about the discipline required to reach his current role. After winning his position with the United States Army Band, he was told he would need to lose 105 pounds before he could qualify to join. He described spending more than a year walking five to 10 miles a day with a weighted backpack in order to meet the requirement.
“How bad do you really want the life that’s in front of you?” Meadows said. “The only thing that was between me and my job was the weight I had.”
In Washington, Meadows said some of his most meaningful work has come through performing at funerals in Arlington National Cemetery. He described those ceremonies as some of the most powerful moments of his career, particularly when families receive the American flag during a loved one’s burial service.
Throughout his talk, Meadows emphasized that success is not always a straight path and encouraged students to think seriously about the choices ahead of them after graduation, whether that means college, trade school, military service, or another direction.
He also encouraged students to value the people who support them, including friends, teachers, and mentors, and said those relationships can make a lasting difference in their lives.
“If you don’t take care of the people that support you, and you don’t value the people that support you, you will find life to become very difficult,” he said.
Meadows closed by encouraging students to keep working toward the life they want, even if they do not yet know exactly what that looks like.
“The best part is that it all started right here in Jasper,” he said. WL
