Chandler Currier joined the band in 6th grade at Stewarts Creek Middle School. He had no musical experience and did not even know what most of the instruments were. He just knew he wanted to “be part of something bigger than me.”
Chandler started out playing the trombone, but his band teacher, Mr. Andrew Lynn, had something bigger in mind. He soon asked Chandler to switch over to playing the tuba. “I didn’t even know what it was,” Chandler said of the large instrument he would eventually learn to master. But he loved the low sound, and he wanted to do what was best for the band. And so, Chandler become a tuba player.
Just 7 years after starting band at Stewarts Creek, Chandler is setting on a new journey: to the world-renowned Juilliard School of Music.
Chandler credited his teachers at Stewarts Creek with giving him the foundation he needed to be successful.
“I will say that starting band at Stewarts Creek Middle School had a profound impact on me because of the teachers. The teachers here are phenomenal. I keep coming back here [to help} because of the teachers.”
The teachers at Stewarts Creek High School helped Chandler take his musicianship to the next level. Chandler said the high school band directors – Michael Chester and Debbie Burton – are honest, funny, and encouraging. “They don’t just teach the basics,” he said, “They also teach students how to be musical.”
Among Chandler’s fondest memories is that he was able to perform at the Tennessee Music Educators Association Conference twice - with SCMS in 2017 and SCHS in 2018
“It shaped my personality – I wouldn’t be the person I am without the teachers and experiences I had,” said Candler.
In the summer of 2019, Chandler auditioned and was accepted to the prestigious Interlochen Arts Camp. He played in the orchestra that summer, under the direction of world-class musicians. “It was an experience I’ll never forget,” he said. Chandler then decided to audition for the Interlochen Arts Academy for his senior year – and got in.
Although it was a difficult decision to leave SCHS for his senior year, the bonds he formed during his time at SCMS and SCHS continued on. “My relationships with my teachers and friends from here did not go away,” he said. His middle and high school band teachers continued to serve as a support system, tuning in for his live-streamed concerts and giving feedback on his college audition recordings. “They were always there for me,” Chandler said.
Chandler auditioned for 6 colleges total, and ended up with the opportunity to choose one of several offers from some of the best music schools in the nation. After a lot of thought, Chandler chose Juilliard.
Chandler is now attending the Juilliard School in New York with the goal of becoming a professional orchestral musician and college tuba professor.
When asked what he might say to a young student thinking of joining band or choir for the first time, he said “You only get one chance, so do it! It’s been the best part of my life. It will always be the best part of my life. I don’t regret any bit of it. The thing about band is the people you meet, the person you become, and the path it sets for you early on.”
Candler added, “Just playing an instrument itself is beautiful, and everyone should be a part of it.”