Warrensburg coach Scott Maple finds harmony between music, tennis

It might be a bit of a stretch, but there are a lot of similarities between being a music teacher and a tennis coach. Follow me for a bit.

Both encourage their pupils to work on their motor skills, especially on their own. Both skill sets require a lot of individual work, but it’s not until the groups come together that those skills are best displayed.

If you’re still with me, how about this? Both make good use of “stringed instruments.”

Scott Maple agrees with the premise, and he should know. He is an elementary school music teacher in Warrensburg, Mo., where he also coaches the boys’ tennis team at Warrensburg High School.

“There’s some connection between the skill set that you need to be a tennis player and the skill set to be a musician,” Maple said. “A lot of my tennis players are musicians as well. They both require a lot of focus and individual dedication.

“You have to practice on your own if you’re going to get better. Then you have to put yourself in performance situations to see how your skills are developing.”

Blending Music & Tennis

Maple grew up around tennis … and music. His dad was the high school girls’ tennis coach as well as the boys’ basketball coach in Knob Noster, Mo. Maple chose to play tennis while also participating in vocal and instrumental music, playing the french horn.

He attended the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where he majored in choral music education with a minor in instrumental education. When he graduated he looked for a job and found one back in his hometown, where he took over from his former music teacher who retired after 31 years.

His dad also was ready to retire, so Maple asked him if he thought the school district would consider hiring him as the girls’ tennis head coach so he could make some extra money.

Maple has coached and taught for close to 20 years—eight in Knob Noster and the last 11 in Warrensburg. He can’t say which activity he likes better.

“There’s a series of books called ‘The Inner Game,’” he said. “The tennis one was written by a tennis coach, and the music one was written by a professional tuba player. But they’re very similar in terms of approach and delivery.”

New Tennis Venture

Maple is also a newly appointed USTA tournament director. He’s learning the role from USTA Missouri Valley Hall of Famer Scott Hanover in Kansas City, a man he calls “the mastermind of putting all the pieces together. He is a wizard when it comes to directing tennis tournaments.”