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RCS Beyond the Classroom Podcast: Stewarts Creek High band with Directors Debra Burton and Michael Chester

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Even though Stewarts Creek High School and its band program have only been in existence for about five years, the program has already generated multiple honors, including being invited to play at the 75th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii last year and being competitively selected to perform at Tennessee Music Education Association's state conference in April 2018. Directors Debra Burton and Michael Chester recently sat down with RCS Communications Coordinator James Evans and Communications Specialist Keith Ryan Cartwright to discuss the band program, the accomplishments and the philosophy that helped launch such a successful effort.

Show Transcript

Communications coordinator Chester and Debbie co-directors in Stewarts Creek High School and they're joining us today for our podcast beyond of what's going on with the band program and advancing what you looking forward to me so I can meet you want to go to South 61st annual Convention of the Tennessee music Education Association talk about the window Samba land and its first-ever invitation to perform their thank you for having us the opportunity to. Association cheer Association has a has a call for performing and the Performing ensemble in school choirs orchestras and fans all levels they can be from elementary school all the way through college and even Community ensembles and so what usually happens in the summertime will do a call for audition tapes you know there are some recordings of things then it gets judged by a panel in front of it on the side during the summertime and the panel is discharge with selecting some of the state of Tennessee and so there's an instrumental side and so it's a process because there's so many submissions that they have to sit and lay out those every recording opposite and debated and deliberate and so special about it because based on our research the very first High School band from Rutherford County to opportunity in this invitation for porum and we are just thrilled beyond belief quality and so I'll be able to represent Rutherford County schools and the town of Smyrna was just an opportunity that was just just there's no more Tepig turn it over to the James first time in 61 years now only only 5 years old right now how in the world band and in Fine Arts in Rutherford County incredibly rich how could you how could it have gone 61 years for an invitation there are several groups the stated is large and several groups of fire every year and so I think that between the comparative of it music in the Arts in Rutherford County is very much success to is success of our middle school so strong coming to us with such a great experience coming in type of been conference last year how did you start how do you where do you even start when you're sitting in his  out we were thinking about building are you going to be like across the state and national language were all human compared to some really really good programs and you know we're going to be like Stewarts Creek High School we were building the the climate in the cool tree here I think we we agreed that we excel in music so for the type of student to four then maybe band is more of a social activity so maybe they're not necessarily going to go to a positive environment that the focus is on accountability in hand funeral group in a commitment and hard working out for the thing and so a program that they create the atmosphere at the same place or so we've been very lucky to do that cuz we we agreed early on that we were going to have a non-competitive marching band and in marching bands here especially in Tennessee and in the South are are pretty, and as far as there's an activity that he knows the Predator the nearest herbal and across our state would put more towards the concert programs and having a marching Pearl focus on on play more Park Community in our athletic event recently for the 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor which was an amazing experience in such a short amount of time and I think that if we as we continue to build a pro putting the student first and really kind of developing their musicianship and nurturing them and mentoring them into having character do you know we can we can kind of do anything I think you mentioned the Pearl Harbor commemoration of the bombing of Pearl Harbor to come every year to participate in process to be able to perform and it was such a bother across the country and sold another application process the kids are all excited about to remember Arizona Memorial Missouri American citizens and farmers and for the author of our troops that was really the moon for part of the trip with them I'll just keep Ryan Cartwright again you are listening to beyond the classroom Michael I was your last class Rune in the equipment almost 5 years ago you walked into this room and empty when you talk about building a foundation initially went to we're going to put our effort toward the concert and we're going to be less not a competitive marching band One stand not even a music how do you how do you go about collecting what is that what is that how do you know what you need I think we open the doors were really sure you know who was going to walk in a pretty good idea just in the middle school and are on our other feeder schools at Rock Springs and black men are are very strong Middle School band programs but High School there's so many things that they can do in here speaking of Wisconsin degree offerings from her or Junior ROTC program RCA TV offering so he knows, one of those things I think I think it was the student who who won be in an environment where you know that if we focus on on our mission but you know of a place where they can participate but we're not we're not up to the point where it's you know there's an awesome person I can be in the high school band and football team High School band and I can be in ROTC I Can I Give You My Heart Will Go On recorder yard or audio or any of those kind of started and so when we started getting that we had an influx of students who really want to be a part of program really had to release prioritizing of the funding that we get from the county like every other  program fundraisers and that sort of thing and chewed it to the  program when I see it all the time so cuz one year you think you've got it all situated and then all the sudden you have 8 to 5 my daughters are good getting ready to go into high school and we were asking where they going to continue with the van but it's in another school where they're at they do their marching and they said we're not sure because that's pretty much every Saturday. Doing something in so that family time too so that's that's it got so do you remember what the first piece of music that you taught the students fight song because we are so funny we had to do a parking lot so weak against the middle school for still not sure about instrument this point so the kids will have their instruments but all of our like large instruments in and those are some things are still in boxes at least give you some of them have even shipped yet so it was it was just funny and then we at the last second you know when they were doing nothing but supportive of our program you know thought it was it was the right thing to have the van there at the school culture the right way and and I think you know sometimes we have the stereotypes of who plays on the football team and who plays in the band who does this but here it's too rich Creek it's been it's been amazing because our our athletic stop really looks out for the band the band members in off of just pay him a lot of the athletic sports you realize what are the things that we teach them so so yeah but the first thing that was The Star-Spangled Banner and I think that's where that Foundation of playing for the school team CNN are town of Smyrna emanated from Stewarts Creek Middle School good school we the student body we the fine art program we the entire band program in the two of you interesting enough you both were at one point Metro Nashville at 1 probably Michael here at at Timber Creek ever expect to happen not exactly ministration there teaching Nashville she said okay I'll come interview choose to come here because this is a very unique school so much support from the entire student body in your faculty Administration unsupportive the director of schools in in mr. Frankly we call our assistant coaches know a lot of time to think about inevitable team they've got another got assistant coaches for you know every curve defense offense you know quarterback that threw thing you know our system coaches in this case for us or our private lesson. You know our our private lessons. I think it is you know you know I have the opportunity to work with professionals 800 we can better support like that again or something that's amazing that you know that everybody's from the from the top all the way down here on the high school level in in the Middle School level up for the thing that we have that opportunity Obama's cure how do you say fitting into the overall education of a student of a child when I say bad I mean of course lots of different types of music choir they said that as well Arts education maybe with a little bit of a story from administrator of mine is it for a night football game Monday teachers keep their students to perform as well as you do teachers do specially the performing cheap vacations they're sitting there with the teachers instructing and Campbell teamwork is your only as strong as your weakest link to each other helping each other out there who sees that there are members of her Section struggling so-called sectional they just know that over all students who are struggling so the student then help out the struggling students which I'm sure that happens turning the bride-to-be on the classroom afternoon three Lord Opryland Resort & Convention Center president Ballroom d d as in dog you guys will allow we think of a concert band Boris said we close out getting gas for this week sometimes people get confused we would kind of be like a junior varsity than and then Russian concert band is an audition group of our of our top freshman through senior class and this performance the Wind Ensemble it was kind of cool music concert bands what kind of pears that fell apart type thing with more clarity in the salad and everybody is a little bit more you know, like a soloist within an ensemble that kind of makes sense so you know you make sure that they know their part really well name a type of literature that we play altitudes is really advanced in for this we've got the opportunity was premiere of a of an of an overture Japanese composer you know specifically for Wind Ensemble says performer to a really really excited about how certain kind of challenges the performance to musically and technically and it'll actually I think too is there at least one teacher Educators in our past and so we always ask you to tell Sue those people will start with u package store he was my teacher even from early young second grade teacher when I grew up between High School Hendersonville High School no I realize okay I'm going to be there cuz I want to do what he does what he does is very cool I would say for me it was definitely my Elementary music teacher Carla Scott Griffin Colorado Springs walk in with Bruce was nothing short of magic everything from just exploring sound and and music and different ideas things just a lot of the games that we would need to know so it's just a bunch of musical skills later on for me and college was actually my director of my undergrad Rick Murphy who is in Middle Tennessee University of time and he was somebody who just was a great musician and and really really challenged us to to look at the big picture of things and in really but the students first and it's never stopped the students themselves are artists never strive never stop striving for that I want I want to say I know my first Elementary School music teacher and she listen to our podcast hello Missy she taught me Hot Cross Buns on the recorder I love you I'll see you soon thanks for listening to stories Creek High School band online in WWE you. S c h s

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RCS Beyond the Classroom Podcast: Stewarts Creek High band with Directors Debra Burton and Michael Chester

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