By Jordan-Ashley Baker

Seventh-grader Imani Miller practices Christmas music to prepare for the band’s upcoming holiday concert

Music education at McDougle Middle School, where enthusiastic students and a dedicated band director work together to create more than music, is no longer just an elective class.McDougle Middle’s band program of 200 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders has undergone many changes in the past year, including receiving a new band director. Chris Branam, who graduated from Campbell University with a degree in Music Education, began working as McDougle’s Director of Bands at the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year with more than 18 years of experience working in music education.

“I see band as an opportunity to shape young lives and to positively influence young people,” Branam stated in the handbook given to all of his students. Branam said he believes band class is more than an extra-curricular activity.

“Band engages every student all the time,” Branam said. Unlike sports, where only several people on the team can play at a time, a member of the band is constantly contributing through active participation, he said. Branam, who was chosen as the 2001-2002 Band Director of the Year by the Central District Bandmasters Association, said he wants his students to see band as an art that they help to create.

Students in Branam’s band classes come from a variety of different backgrounds and financial situations. With help from instrument rental programs at McDougle Middle, students who cannot afford to buy an instrument can still participate in band class. According to Branam, the skills that students learn in band help them to grow into hardworking, committed and respectful adults.

This opportunity should not be denied to any child because of financial problems.

Branam’s seventh-grade saxline is hard at work during their band class. Photos by Jordan-Ashley Baker

Imani Miller, a flute player in Branam’s seventh-grade band, said that band is having a positive effect on her life. “It makes me feel happy,” she said. “And the other kids like it, too.” She admits that having a new band director was difficult at first, but she said she believes that the change is for the better. “We’ve gone through a lot, but we get a lot of fun out of playing music.”

“A successful band program not only benefits the students, but the community as well,” Branam said. He said he believes band gives his students a chance to give something back to their town through their parades, performances and concerts, such as the one members of the McDougle Middle School band will perform on December 19 at 7:00 p.m.

Branam himself is an example of how music education can inspire a love for helping others. Aside from being the band director at McDougle, Branam is the founder and director of TrueNote Bands, a program created to teach music to children who are not part of the public school system. TrueNote Bands allow students, such as those enrolled in home school, to benefit from music education. Branam said he believes that, above all, it is his students that make his work worthwhile.
“I like to connect with kids and make an impact by using music as a vehicle,” he said.