Dr. Alan Flowers has taught music while sitting at his piano at UNA since 1990. Flowers teaches music appreciation and music history.

“I teach from the piano so I can illustrate the music we are studying and get the students’ input and reaction to it,” Flowers said. “I sit at the piano while teaching, and if we’re talking about a particular piece of music, I play that piece of music.”

When his brother was taking piano lessons and hating them, Flowers’ parents realized that the wrong child was taking piano lessons.

“I picked them right up,” Flowers said.

Since he was four, he always knew he wanted to study music.

“It was never a question; everyone in my family went to college,” Flowers said.

Flowers received his bachelor’s and master’s of music from the University of Alabama.

While at the University of Alabama, he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon centennial pledge class. SAE is a social fraternity founded at UA. Flowers was active in helping get a chapter of SAE started at UNA.

After graduating, he taught at Coffee and Bradshaw high schools, which are now combined to form Florence High School. After teaching, he left and worked in retail management; however, he soon realized he could not keep away from teaching.

“I decided I missed being around young people, and that’s when I decided to come to UNA,” Flowers said.

As well as Flowers, his father and mother taught at UNA. Flowers Hall was named after his father Hubert A. Flowers. H.A Flowers was the first athletic director and first baseball and basketball coach.

“He was responsible for bringing football back to UNA,” Flowers said.

Outside of the classroom, Flowers is involved in the Shoals Community Theater.

“I direct one play a year, and they’re always musicals,” he said.

The musical he will be directing this year is called “Cabaret.” Flowers is also involved at his church, First Presbyterian Church, where he serves as organist and choir director.

During his spare time, he enjoys cooking, gardening and traveling the world. Flowers’ favorite place he has traveled is Tuscany, a region of Italy where Florence, Italy is located. It is filled with old Italian cities.

“I love not only just seeing the different places I have learned about, but meeting the people and learning about their culture,” Flowers said.

Flowers said if he had the choice to go anywhere, he would love to go back and explore Greece.

“It’s where Western civilization as we know it began,” he said. “I’ve been there but have not seen as much as I would like to.”