Radio Legend Lin Brehmer’s Legacy Lives On At Sauganash Elementary Music Room
Overview:
Beloved WXRT disc jockey Lin Brehmer died two years ago. Brehmer’s son went to Sauganash Elementary and last month the school dedicated their new music room to him.
SAUGANASH — In the WXRT studio, Lin Brehmer was a beloved radio legend. At Sauganash Elementary School, he was just a really great dad.
The longtime XRT radio host and disc jockey began volunteering at the school when his son started kindergarten there in 2000, said Principal Christine Munns.
Munns said it was “a huge loss to the Sauganash community,” when Brehmer died in January 2023 at 68 after a battle with prostate cancer. The school’s newly dedicated Lin Brehmer Music Studio will ensure his legacy lives on for generations to come.
“He embraced the school and he made the school better,” Munns said. “He was an advocate for giving back, and we received it.”
Music Is For Everyone
Brehmer and his wife were two of the first people Munns met when she started as an assistant principal at Sauganash 24 years ago. The couple was volunteering to help set up classrooms before the school year had even started, she said.
Brehmer also MC’d Sauganash’s live auction fundraiser every year. When Brehmer hosted the event, he would hype up the student artwork being sold, encouraging bidders to go higher, Munns said.
Brehmer knew Munns wanted to grow the school’s arts offerings and was always trying to bring in more resources, she said.
“He was always volunteering,” Munns said. “Lin would do anything for the kids.”
That’s why, when Sauganash completed a building addition that included a music room last year, Munns decided to dedicate the space to Brehmer. The school previously dedicated its new gym to former PTA president Kim Walton Zalinski, a Chicago police officer who died in 2016.
The new music room was dedicated to Brehmer last month. Sauganash music teacher Jason Fahrenbach said he talked to students about Brehmer’s career ahead of the dedication. Some students even performed during the ceremony.
A bulletin board outside the music room explains who Brehmer was and that the space will be used to “continue his legacy of exploring music to connect with humanity through humor and love.”
“Lin did music that was super artful and complex, but he also introduced people to music that just made you happy to listen to,” Fahrenbach said. “He connected it to what was going on in the world.”
A New Home for Music
Making the arts accessible and fun is also what Sauganash’s expanded music program is all about, Fahrenbach said. The music teacher said he makes his lessons collaborative so that students can explore instruments in a hands-on way, instead of just memorizing notes.
Before the 2023 addition, Sauganash’s music classroom was just a small pushcart that teachers would use to lug instruments from room to room, Munns said.
Munns, who is retiring this winter, said she’s been working to expand Sauganash’s arts programs for years. The addition also includes an art room, a new gymnasium, STEM labs, more classrooms and space for a pre-K program. Over the past year, the school has been able to buy guitars, pianos and ukuleles for the music room.
“My philosophy was, ‘You needed a well-rounded school to meet the well-rounded needs of the children,’” Munns said. “There’s kids that come to school for music, there’s kids that come to school for art.”
A Legacy That Lives On
Music teacher Jason Fahrenbach teaches 6th graders in Sauganash Elementary School’s music classroom, which was named Lin Brehmer Music Studio after the late and beloved WXRT radio DJ, as seen on Nov. 13, 2024.
Brehmer, who former Mayor Rahm Emmanuel dubbed “the voice of Chicago,” spent more than three decades with WXRT. He eventually became a local celebrity.
When Brehmer died, Chicago legends like Wilco, Billy Corgan and John Cusack mourned his loss.
While the elementary schoolers jamming out in the Lin Brehmer Music Studio may be too young to remember, the iconic DJ’s approach to music and the arts will live on in every lesson, Fahrenbach said.
Conclusion
Radio legend Lin Brehmer may be gone, but his legacy lives on through the music room dedicated in his honor at Sauganash Elementary School. The school is ensuring that his love of music and arts will continue to inspire and educate future generations.
FAQs
Q: What is the Lin Brehmer Music Studio?
A: The Lin Brehmer Music Studio is a music room at Sauganash Elementary School dedicated to the memory of beloved WXRT radio DJ Lin Brehmer.
Q: Why was the music room dedicated to Lin Brehmer?
A: The music room was dedicated to Lin Brehmer in recognition of his years of volunteering at the school and his passion for music and arts education.
Q: What will happen in the Lin Brehmer Music Studio?
A: The music studio will be used for music classes and lessons, where students can explore instruments and learn about music in a collaborative and hands-on way.
