SEMO Bands Alumni

08/06/2024

I am making a desperate plea (I'm not exaggerating, I'm truly desperate this time), I've done everything I can do internally here at the University, so now I'm reaching out to my friends and family (if you have church families or are part of civic/volunteer organizations or even athletic teams that need a good work out by hauling stuff up the stairs, please help me by sharing this info) We are going to have a very large group of new int'l students arriving each night this weekend (Friday-Sunday) to Towers Dormitory complex at 8 p.m. and I'm needing lots of volunteers each night to help welcome these new students and help get them settled in their dorm rooms (keep in mind, these students don't have family and friends here to help get them situated and they rely heavily on us to help)...we are about 40 volunteers short each night. Even if you can't physically move items, we can use help with crowd control...60 students and their belongings all in the Towers Lobby at once is a lot. We only need about an hour of your time (or less if there are plenty of volunteers.) If you are around and could help, it would mean so much to me and these students. Here is the volunteer form that we ask our volunteers to fill out so we know how many to expect (Please share this post if you are in the Cape area)

We need plenty of volunteers to help the International Education Office with incoming students for the Fall 2024 semester! Once this form closes, we will organize and assign roles to everyone who volunteered. Please pay attention to your SEMO email during this time. Expect to receive your assignment...

02/25/2024

Now that I have had time to think. I have to say, win, lose, or draw, I have the best job in the world.My band played at the first festival in 4 years today and we are going to our State festival in a few months. To say the air was palpable with the nervous anticipation is an understatement. We have experienced loss of members in our program and, while I am saddened at their departure, these kids just keep coming back for more. Ever since Covid, I have been in a rebuild phase. It's the 2nd time I have had to try to rebuild this program. At its peak before Covid, I had built up the band to 45 members. Right now we are back down to 22. I don't put a lot of faith in quantity over quality, but I do recognize how much easier it is to build an ensemble when numbers are on the upward trend. I am so proud of my band students. They are tenacious and are scrappy when it comes to what we do. What we do is create and make music,memories, and relationships that will last a lifetime. High school is hard, shoot, life is hard. Being able to create beauty from nothing is divine and is a powerful gift to possess for a lifetime. Even if I never get to stand in front of a 100 piece band and conduct the sounds that move men and women to tears, at least I have been able to make 1 person love music enough to have changed their life forever. At the end of the day, all I care about is being a voice for positive change and a role model for pursuing a passion with fervor. I would like to thank a couple of people today. Dr. Jim Daughters and one of my mentors Dr. Robert Gifford. Today was a great experience and I truly thank you for the opportunity to share our music with you today. If you are a band director friend, you should seriously consider this festival for your groups.

01/20/2024

100% This is what you or your child will learn from being in band. Oh, and we have a great time doing all of these things too!

12/26/2023

I have reached 100 followers! Thank you for your continued support. I could not have done it without each of you. 🙏🤗🎉

07/21/2023

I found this on NewsBreak: Legendary crooner Tony Bennett dead at 96

Legendary crooner Tony Bennett -- who made teenagers scream in the 1950s and toured with Lady Gaga in 2014 and 2015 -- has died at age...

01/11/2022

Music teachers out there. since when did the phrase Every Good Boy Does Fine become sexest? My 7th grader has informed me that the acceptable phrase is Every Good Bird Does Fly. Welp, this is Oregon after all.

03/19/2021

I just came across a video clip of the very first game played at the Show Me Center! Unfortunately, the camera pan did not get me, however, this sure brought back memories!

05/28/2020

I found this cassette while doing some home organization. Man, I didn't remember how good the Wind Ensemble sounded back in 1990! (TY Dr. Gifford!!!) There is no list of personnel or track listing. There are 4 pieces on the recording. are 4 tracks on it. I should be able to recognize/remember them and surely some of you will shame me for not being able to. Track #1 is a very brief fanfare. Track #2 sounds familiar, but I can't place it. Track #3 is Ramah! This may have been the concert that Gier Knudtson came and conducted, but I'm not sure. Track #4 is very dissonant but contains fragments of "A Mighty Fortress is our God". Whose memory is better than mine?

05/23/2019

I was in that pregame show formation!!!!!

06/09/2018

I hope everyone is having a great summer. Please post some vacation destinations with dates....you never know...you just might be close to some SEMO Band friends then get together and swap some band camp stories!

01/21/2018

Anyone going to MMEA this week? If so, I look forward to seeing you there!