There’s something special about the bond between fathers and their children — especially when it’s built, not just at home, but in classrooms, rehearsal halls and on stage.

For two families, that bond has grown stronger through a shared love of music and a shared calling in their careers.

The Nichol and Karenbauer families followed similar paths. Fathers Herb Nichol and Todd Karenbauer both attended Butler Senior High School and were members of the Golden Tornado Marching Band, and both went on to careers in education. Today, their children have followed in their footsteps.

For Herb and his daughter, Melissa, a shared interest in music and performance started when Melissa was a child.

“Melissa started out doing dance recitals when she was a young girl. Sometimes sitting through these can be a dad’s worst nightmare, but we (fathers) really enjoyed it. We’d trade war stories,” Herb said.

According to Herb, Melissa also found a love for the stage and performed in a variety of musicals for community theater through Sing Hosanna!, a nonprofit organization that produces stage productions.

For one such production, Melissa was even able to rope her parents into participating.

“We did a musical called, ‘Four Tickets to Christmas,’ we were in the chorus and danced during the production,” Melissa said.

Having the opportunity to involve her parents in her world was important to Melissa. The Nichols have always been a close family, so sharing experiences like this was the foundation of their bond.

In school, Melissa joined her father’s alma mater band and later marched in the same gold, white and blue.

“She played the flute in both band and marching band, and she really loved it,” Herb said.

Their shared interests didn’t end with music, as both of Herb’s children followed in his career footsteps as well.

“Ironically, both of my kids became teachers,” Herb said.

For the last nine years, Melissa has taught special education at Summit Academy; while his son, Matthew, has taught social studies at Deer Lakes High School.

Having a father who experienced similar victories and challenges is something Melissa welcomes.

“It’s nice to bond over, he’s able to relate to things that some parents might not be able to relate to,” she said. “Sometimes it’s hard to find common ground with your dad as you get older, so having teaching and our shared love of music really helps keep that bond.”

In 2022, the father-daughter pair would find a new form of common ground — the Butler Symphony Choir.

“I got an email from Heather and Brian Helsel, because they were forming a choir for the upcoming Christmas concert, they asked if I could sing,” Herb said.

Brian Helsel, who was one of Melissa’s teachers when she was in high school, had reached out to her directly to ask if she would be interested in participating and, without hesitation, she called her father.

“Melissa called to tell me she’d received the email and, after discussing it, she thought this would be a lot of fun for us to do together, so we agreed to participate,” Herb said.

Herb encourages other families with musical abilities to follow the same path he and his daughter have.

“You don’t have to be the greatest singer in the world, if you can sing, if your child can sing and you both have an interest in music, you should definitely get involved,” he said. “Never be afraid to be a part of your child’s life, be involved, take an interest in their hobbies and passions, because you never know where that is going to lead.”

Hunter and Kayla Karenbauer found their love of music at a young age as well.

“My daughter started playing piano when she was 4 and my son started percussion in the fourth grade,” Todd Karenbauer said.

Todd and his wife, Jana, are both music educators. He is an associate marching band director for the Golden Tornado and band director at the intermediate high school for grades six through eight while Jana teaches at the elementary school.

According to Todd, his children’s love for music likely came from the fact that they were always around it, which is why they followed their parents’ footsteps into the world of education.

“It’s a true sense of pride. They watched us growing up. They saw the long hours and the work involved, and they still wanted to be involved in music,” Todd said.

Both Hunter and Kayla Karenbauer graduated with degrees in music education from Slippery Rock University. Kayla currently teaches in the Armstrong School District; while Hunter, fresh from graduation in May, is currently on the hunt for a job.

“We’re extremely proud of our kids,” Todd said.

The Karenbauers’ connection to music didn’t end in an auditorium, football field or classroom, they also participate in several musical groups.

When Kayla turned 12, she joined her father in the musical group, Grateful, the contemporary band at St. Conrad’s Church, All Saints Parish. When the band was looking for a drummer, Hunter was turning 12 and soon he started playing with his father and sister as well.

Outside of their shared love for music and career paths, the two families share another connection — the Butler Symphony Orchestra.

Todd serves as one of three booth managers while Hunter serves as the percussion manager.

“Playing with your kids is like nothing else,” Todd said. “Watching them enjoy music as you do, it’s incredible.”