Shopper Blog: South-Doyle marching band cranking up ‘Rach & Roll’ for halftime crowds
SOUTH KNOXVILLE
South-Doyle marching band cranking up ‘Rach & Roll’ for halftime crowds
Carol Z. Shane, Shopper News
Knox County school students headed back to the classroom last week after a summer of rest, play and warm weather activities. Many young Knox County musicians had already been putting in some dedicated time on sharpening up their old skills – and in many cases, learning new ones – when area high school band directors held their summer band camps.
Daniel Mull, band director at South-Doyle High School since the summer of 2020, held a New Member Camp July 12-14. Over two weekends, July 17-21 and July 24-28, all members were welcomed for daily sessions from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“Every year, our focus is first on fundamentals of marching and playing,” said Mull. “If those fundamentals are strong, all of our performances – from pregame to our halftime show – will look and sound great!
“Our fall show is entitled ‘Rach & Roll.’ It's a fusion of classical music and rock and roll. It features ‘In The End’ by Linkin Park and ‘Piano Concerto No. 2’ by Sergei Rachmaninoff.” The great Russian composer, who lived from 1873 to 1943, is known for his beautiful melodies and rich harmonies.
Even those who don’t consider themselves classical music fans may recognize the popular WWII-era song “Full Moon and Empty Arms,” or Eric Carmen’s 1975 hit “All By Myself” – they’re both based on the concerto that the South-Doyle band will feature.
In addition to a full game performance schedule, they’ll participate in several marching band competitions and festivals this season. First up is the Clinch River Classic on Sept. 23 at Clinton High School. Others are the Volunteer Classic, Oct. 21 at Heritage High School; the Alcoa Marching Band Festival, Oct. 28 at Alcoa High School; and the Knox County Honors Band Festival at Central High School, Nov. 20-21.
They’ll also march in the WIVK Christmas Parade on Dec. 1.
Mull was formerly the director of bands at Christian Academy of Knoxville, where his concert ensembles regularly received superior ratings at competitions. A native of Hayesville, North Carolina, he earned his bachelor of music and bachelor of science in education, magna cum laude with a concentration in instrumental music, from Western Carolina University.
He is also a graduate of the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program and was selected in 2013 to be part of the Inaugural Marian Drane Graham Scholars Program. His professional affiliations include Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America, the National Association for Music Education, the East Tennessee School Band and Orchestra Association, and the Tennessee Music Education Association. Mull holds a professional teaching license with the state of Tennessee and is also a Google Certified Educator.
The South-Doyle High School band’s first fundraiser will be the annual KCS Coupon Book sale, which runs from Sept. 14 to Oct. 3. Another fundraiser, as yet TBD, will run from Oct. 16-Nov. 17. So you’ll have several opportunities to support these fine young musicians, who do their best to make South Knoxville proud.
NORTH KNOXVILLE
Central High band looks at an 'A.I.' world in halftime show
Carol Z. Shane, Shopper News
Knox County school students headed back to the classroom last week after a sumnmer of rest, play and warm weather activities.
But many young Knox County musicians had already been putting in some dedicated time sharpening up their old skills − and in many cases, learning new ones − when area high school band directors held their summer band camps.
For former middle school students, moving on up into high school is “already a steep learning curve,” said Knoxville Symphony Orchestra principal percussionist Clark Harrell, who teaches percussion and aids director Alex Mink in the Central High School band program. In two summer sessions, the first running July 17-21 and the second running the July 24-28, the emphasis was on marching band fundamentals.
This year, there was a kink in the works for the first session because of air alerts and rain.
“It was a little bit of a struggle,” said Mink. “We ended up having to move inside. It put us behind on the outdoor rehearsals and visuals we were doing.
"But we got a lot of great music rehearsals! With a larger freshman class than we have had, it’s probably a good thing that we got so much fundamental stuff.”
The kids were able to be outside for most of the second session.
The fall 2023 show’s theme is AI − artificial intelligence.
“It’s one of those topics that’s becoming more and more commonplace in the news, in pop culture,” said Mink. “There’s a lot of music and a story we can tell, and be very relevant to our audience and our students.”
Some of the featured songs are Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” and what Mink describes as a “darker, slower twist” on Blondie’s “One Way or Another.”
“It’s going to be good,” said Mink. “We’re playing some familiar songs that they know; it’s giving us an avenue to explore this topic without getting too controversial.”
The musical, marching Bobcats will be attending several competitions this fall: The Clinch River Classic on Sept. 23 at Clinton High School; the Karns Marching Invitational on Sept. 30 at Karns High School.; the Spirit of the Valley Invitational at Hardin Valley on Oct. 7; the Alcoa Marching Band Festival at Alcoa High School on Oct. 28, for which they won the Grand Champion award last year. On Oct. 30 at Farragut High School, they’ll participate with other county bands in an exhibition event. And they’ll host the Knox County Honors Band Festival at Central High School in November.
Dates and details for fundraisers have not yet been nailed down, but there will be a chili supper in late February or early March, and CHS fans can be on the lookout for plenty of candy bars available for purchase this academic year.
In the meantime, the CHS kids will be honing their skills and preparing their competitive show.
”We’re putting that together piece by piece over the course of the fall,” said Harrell. “It’s a building process.”
NORTH KNOXVILLE
See Gibbs High marching band relive the space race this fall
Carol Z. Shane, Shopper News
Knox County school students headed back to the classroom last week after a summer of rest, play and warm weather activities. Many young Knox County musicians had already been putting in some dedicated time on sharpening up their old skills − and in many cases, learning new ones − when area high school band directors held their summer band camps.
Spence Milligan, in his third year as director of bands at Gibbs High School, ran his camp July 17-28.
“We are very fundamentally focused at Gibbs, so we spent a lot of time teaching and polishing our music foundation and our marching fundamentals. Most music educators will tell you that time spent working the basics is never time wasted!”
Milligan, a graduate of Powell High School, has a long history as a director of area bands − the Webb School of Knoxville, Carter High School and Oak Ridge High School have all benefited from his leadership. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music from the Regents College of the University of New York and a master’s in educational, instructional and curriculum supervision from Carson-Newman College.
He’s enthusiastic about this year’s show at Gibbs.
“Fall 2023 is a really exciting show; our audience has never seen us do anything quite this big. The show is entitled ‘For Mankind’ and it is all about the patriotism and excitement America felt during the space race.
“We begin the show hearing JFK’s famous speech promising to land a man on the moon in that decade. Visually we will see the Saturn V rocket standing tall on Earth, ready for takeoff. The audience will see the newspaper headlines and the NASA workers preparing for flight.
"Our second movement is all about the wonder of space as we travel towards our destination. The audience will hear the excited schoolchildren talking about space and see the comets flying through the air.
"Our third movement is the moment of truth: as the lunar lander approaches the moon the audience will hear famous [musical] works about the moon coupled with actual recordings from NASA’s archive of the moon landing.
"The show ends as we take one small step, and one giant leap to ultimately place the American flag on the surface of the moon.
“These are things the audience will see on the field. We are utilizing props for the Earth and the Saturn V, and our color guard will have newspaper flags to create some of those visual moments. We will have comet props that literally soar over the band during our ballad, and a current NASA flight operations engineer will narrate sections for us as well! We wanted the show to feel patriotic, historical, and be a full experience for our audience.”
The musical, marching Eagles have several competitions planned, including the Clinch River Classic at Clinton High School on Sept. 23 and the Spirit of the Valley Invitational at Hardin Valley on Oct. 7.
They’re doing an online fundraiser through Snap! Raise at www.snapraise.com/ in September, a Ham and Goody’s cookie sale in October, and a car show scheduled for April 20. If you’re interested, reach out to Milligan at spence.milligan@knoxschools.org.
POWELL
Knox Guitars now serving 'selective' clientele in-store
Al Lesar, Shopper News
When the spare room at the Duggers’ Powell home got filled up, it was time to make a decision.
The result was that Knox Guitars now has a brick and mortar location (7603 Blueberry Road in Powell).
For the past eight years, Aaron and Bailey Dugger had run a successful online business out of their home. They had found their niche in the music business selling guitar pedals.
While the large businesses, online or in a showroom, will deal with a wide range of actual guitars and accessories, the Duggers were content to supply musicians locally and nationally with the pedals.
“The pedals can change the way the guitar sounds without changing the guitar or the amp,” Aaron said. “You can hear a lot of different textures in the sound.”
Just about every electric guitar player uses a pedal. They range in price from $50-$500. It’s not uncommon for a musician to have a variety of pedals in order to get a wide range of sounds.
Aaron said there are hundreds of brands on the market and each brand has 15-20 pedals.
From hobby to business
Aaron graduated from Powell High School in 2005. Bailey followed in 2008. They were high school sweethearts.
Aaron went on to Pellissippi State Community College and then East Tennessee State University, where he got a pharmacy degree. He continues to be a pharmacist with an insurance company.
Bailey is a singer in their church band, while Aaron plays guitar and anything else that is needed. Aaron said he started his musical journey with an acoustic guitar, and has been playing the electric guitar for only the past 10 years.
“It started when I was able to help someone get a deal on a pedal,” Aaron said of his business. “I was buying and selling pedals as a hobby. We finally made an online business out of it and we had customers everywhere in the country.”
Very selective
Aaron said at the store’s July 1 opening, there was an inventory of more than 600 pedals.
“I’ve tried every pedal personally,” he said. “I want to make sure each one gives the sound it’s supposed to give.”
Aaron said Walrus Audio is the go-to product he carries. It has quality and it is priced as a middle-of-the-road pedal. Add to that excellent customer service and it’s a complete package.
Bailey is adamant to say that this 500-square-foot business will hardly be a competitor with area guitar or music stores.
“We will be very selective in what we have,” Bailey said. “We’re not a catch-all music shop.
“We just need to get the word out among musicians that we’re available for them.”
There will be a few unique, custom-made guitars and limited accessories available with the pedals.
“We’ve been to a lot of guitar shops in person and online and we figured out we can do better with what we provide,” Bailey said.
The store will be open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
BEARDEN
Girl Scout wins Gold Award and makes a difference for kids
John Shearer, Shopper News
For West Knoxville resident Allison “Ally” Bush, all her work has resulted in plenty of play for some youngsters.
After becoming aware that the Trinity Learning Center preschool at First Farragut United Methodist Church was looking to upgrade its playground, she thought that might be a good time to help them expand the facility as a Girl Scout project.
And with a sensory playground she had in mind, she thought it might also expand the minds and worthwhile experiences of children who even at a young age spend a lot of time simply looking at phone, computer, or TV screens.
“It is about learning basic skills by touching and sense and hearing and tasting,” she said in a phone interview in explaining what sensory play is. “I built a sensory playground with multiple components. It has a mud kitchen and two sensory bins, and I let the school put whatever they wanted into them.”
Bush won a Girl Scout Gold Award for her efforts. Considered the highest honor a Girl Scout can receive, it is given to girls who demonstrate extraordinary leadership and make sustainable changes in their communities, according to officials with the Girl Scouts.
She was one of only 14 Knoxville area girls to receive the award − along with Kailey Bostick, Livia Branscum, Laura Gilliard, Abhikhya Gudala, Danielle Holbert, Samantha Holt, Sarah Humphrey, Sadie Pastor, Amelia Sandoval, Riley Shover, Ridhima Singh, Savannah Wilde and Natalie Wood.
Girl Scouts of the Southern Appalachians council CEO Lynne Fugate in a press release praised the honorees for the varying projects that brought them distinction. “These young women have worked hard to develop the leadership skills required to earn this prestigious recognition, and their dedication has made a positive difference in our community,” she said.
Bush, an 11th grader at Hardin Valley Academy and member of Troop 20391, said she came up with the playground project idea after seeing a flyer the church and preschool had put out.
“I did a bunch of research on how kids play and knew exactly what to build and what was best for kids,” she said. After being able to take advantage of the fact that a father of one of her friends had some woodworking equipment at his home, she then took the cut wood to her house and built the components there.
Other members of the troop and some family also helped her on through the installation, while she took the lead role.
“It took the whole summer of 2022,” she said, adding that her favorite part was the mud kitchen, where youngsters can be pretending to make food items using such outdoor materials as mud and water. The playground also includes two sensory tables and, as mentioned, two garden boxes.
Bush also put together an informational pamphlet and video tutorials to help families and caregivers incorporate more outdoor sensory play into their children’s lives.
Amy Bush, Ally’s mother and a co-leader of the troop − who also saw Ally’s older sister, Katie Bush, receive a Gold Award − said the playground seems to add a lot to the experiences of the children at the center.
“It’s a better way for children to learn,” she said. “They can pretend and interact more. And it helps with fine motor skills.”
While Ally is involved in other activities at her school, including being in the marching band’s color guard, she said the project and being in the Girl Scouts in general have been very beneficial to her. “It has helped me be more social and become more confident in a public setting and talking in front of people,” she said.
And her mother thinks Gold Award projects are also helpful to her daughter and other Scouts.
“I really think the Gold Award shows girls they are so much more capable than they think they are,” Amy said.
WEST KNOXVILLE
Cox wants ‘culture of care’ at Hardin Valley Academy
Nancy Anderson, Shopper News
Mitchell Cox, who was named executive principal at Hardin Valley Academy as of July, said he is a servant leader.
“That’s one of my big philosophies. I serve the people in the building and I serve the building. We were all out here planting shrubs and pressure washing getting ready for the new year. I don’t ask anyone to do anything I wouldn’t do. I’m right there in the trenches working shoulder to shoulder.”
He’s also relationship driven. He plans to be seen in the hallways and classrooms building relationships with students, staff, and administrators.
“Building relationships is a big part of who I am as a principal. I want them to get to know me, build faith and trust that I can do the job and be the best leader I can be at Hardin Valley Academy.
“I want to build a culture of care and pressing academics. That means we have policies and procedures for which we will hold everyone accountable while still making the school a place the students want to come to.
“We as a culture want to care for everybody. When problems arise, we will work with the student to discover the problem then support the student, teacher … whomever, to a resolution.
“The key is going back to relationships. I want the students and staff to feel comfortable in coming to us when there’s a problem. Our counseling department here is excellent. They’re on board with creating a culture of care.”
Cox has a three-pillar approach to the care model: Be here, be engaged, and be connected.
“We want the 2,200 kids that come here to feel connected to the school and to each other in some way. We have a fantastic arts program, there’s sports, and clubs; each and every student should have an activity.”
Cox taught at Sullivan North High School in Kingsport for seven years before becoming part of the administrative team at Innovation Academy of Northeast Tennessee in 2012. He then was asked to be an assistant principal at Sullivan Central High School, followed by principal of Indian Springs Elementary School. Cox served as principal at Halls Elementary in 2017 and Cedar Bluff Elementary in 2019.
He moves to Hardin Valley Academy after serving at Knox County Schools as supervisor for employee relations.
Cox holds a bachelor’s degree in history from East Tennessee State University, a master’s in curriculum, instruction and assessment from Walden University, and an educational leadership license from Union College.
Cox lives in West Knoxville with his wife, Stephanie, and two children. He and his wife are expecting their third child in November.
Info: https://www.knoxschools.org/hardinvalley
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POWELL
New Powell Middle principal says kids can still be molded
Al Lesar, Shopper News
When Denise Watts got the appointment as principal at Powell Middle School, she didn’t have to research how to get there.
Nine years (2006-15) as a history teacher at Powell High School gave her the lay of the land.
What will be new is dealing with middle school-age students.
During her time as a teacher, and then as an assistant principal (six years at Austin-East Magnet High School and two at Bearden High School) she has only had experience with the older students.
“Best practices are best practices,” said Watts. “I don’t see (middle school) being super different from high school. I will be leaning heavily on my staff.”
No matter what the level of student, Watts’ concept of leadership is the same.
“It’s ‘our’ school, not ‘my’ school,” Watts said. “These students will be at an age when you can still mold them. The focus, no matter what, will be meeting the needs of all the students in the building. I always want to be intentional in planning and support.”
Feeling confident
A native of South Carolina, Watts spent her formative years in Jefferson County. She graduated from Jefferson County High School in 2000, then continued her education at the University of Tennessee.
“I was shy as a student,” Watts said. “The passion I had for history and teaching got me excited and brought me out of (being shy).”
Heading into her ninth year in a leadership role, Watts is confident she has found her niche.
“I feel more at ease doing this,” she said. “Sitting in (the principal’s) chair makes you think. The keys seem heavier (than when she was an assistant).
“I feel like I’m the lucky one. I’m excited to be back (in the Powell community). I get to be here.”
Watts said one of the first things she did was go through a yearbook. She saw teachers she taught with at the high school and even saw a student who was the child of one of the students she taught in history.
Applying concepts at Powell Middle School
This school year will mark the 50th anniversary of Powell Middle School. It will be an underlying theme of everything that’s done.
“We want to continue the great tradition that has already been established here,” Watts said. “We don’t want students to dread walking in the door.”
Watts said she has taken concepts from her previous administrative stops that will impact Powell Middle School.
“At Austin-East, I learned about the importance of community and relationships,” she said. “I was able to sharpen skills of professional development.
“At Bearden, it was a challenge to manage the caseload. I learned to get the voices of all the stakeholders before making a decision.”
Watts, who vows that she’ll be in the hallways more than her office, will have a veteran cast around her. Assistant principals Ginny Powers and Glen Price, as well as administrative assistant Dr. Brad Smith, are all back from last year’s staff.
“I sent out a survey (during the summer) to the teachers,” Watts said. “One teacher said Powell Middle School is like Disneyland ... you don’t want to leave.”
WEST KNOXVILLE
Teacher’s book features little dog, big message
Nancy Anderson, Shopper News
Trista McReynolds, a 21-year science teacher at Grace Christian Academy, wrote “Small Dog, Big Universe,” a children’s book about Frank the Pug dog as he learns how small he is in God’s great big universe.
McReynolds said the book was inspired by Frank, a rescue Pug that was with the family for 12 years. He came to McReynolds after someone left him on the baseball field at Grace Christian.
“He was in rough shape when we first got him. He had on a harness that was way too small for him. It rubbed big holes in his fur. We took him home and he became the best dog, just perfect for our family.”
The book is about comparing sizes from small to large. Little kids have a hard time with the concept they live in a dwelling in a neighborhood, which is part of a city, part of a state, etc., until they come to realize they are a small part of a vast universe created by God.
McReynolds said she’s always wanted to write a book and has several outlines, notes, and rough drafts. She said the book nearly wrote itself at a time when she was questioning if she should stop teaching and do something else.
“There wasn’t any one thing bothering me, but God sent me Psalms 16 over and over. Verse seven talks about how God will visit you in the night seasons. I woke up at 4 a.m. and this book just came right out of me, including illustration ideas.”
McReynolds’ daughter, Gentry, drew a picture of Frank, and McReynolds used that drawing as the base of illustrations for the book, all done by Gentry.
McReynolds did not reach out to Gentry initially. She asked the art director at Grace Christian Academy to do the illustrations, but she declined, saying Gentry should do the illustrations. When McReynolds approached Gentry about the illustrations, Gentry admitted her feelings were hurt when her mother asked someone else to do the illustrations.
“We had a laugh about that. All turned out well. The illustrations are so cute,” McReynolds said.
The book is available on Amazon, at Barnes & Noble, and Better Word Books, among others.
Next for McReynolds is writing a devotional for middle schoolers.
“It’s science-based too; I use what we know of natural science and backed it up with scriptures from the Bible. God already showed us that we can weave those together just like I did for ‘Small Dog, Big Universe.’”
OPINION
Shopper Blog: Beginnings − even if they're good − are hard
Leslie Snow, Shopper News
I didn’t take Clara to school on her first day of kindergarten, but I thought about her and wondered how my Feral Princess was doing. Later in the day, when Jordan and Joe were still working, I joined her class for a short welcome-to-school activity.
The room was bustling with new pupils and parents when I arrived. I scanned the room looking for my granddaughter in the crowd and smiled when I spotted her. I waved but she didn’t see me, so I took a minute to watch her as she walked down the hall with the other students.
Her eyes looked too big in her tiny face. She seemed to be concentrating on her steps, making sure she followed the rules and did everything right. She brushed her hair back nervously. She fidgeted with her navy-blue skirt.
“Clara!” I called in that shouting-whisper people do, “It’s YaYa!”
She smiled when she saw me and gave a timid little wave. Then she whispered back, “Can I go home now.”
I chuckled softly, put my arm around her shoulder, and told her we would leave as soon as we were done with the group activity. “OK,” she said, wide-eyed, “but then we can go, right?”
We wound our way down several long halls until we got to a room arranged with small tables covered in art supplies. Clara and I were instructed to build a simple balloon-powered car using our imagination and a little trial and error. Unfortunately for Clara, there was more “error” in my car-building skills than “trial.” She couldn’t bear the imperfections.
“Yaya, you’re doing it wrong. You need to ask for help,” she begged, urgently.
“It’s OK, Honey,” I told her with more confidence than I felt. “This activity is about discovering what works and trying something new if it doesn’t work the first time. We’re like scientists doing an experiment,” I said. reassuringly. “And we’re two smart cookies. We can do this.”
But Clara wasn’t interested in my fake-it-till-you-make-it attitude. “Just ask for help,” she pleaded. Then she looked up at me pitifully and said, “I just want to go home.”
In the end, the balloon car didn’t work, but Clara didn’t mind anymore. It was time to go home.
On the drive back, I thought about Ethan’s kindergarten year. My youngest son was miserable from the start of the school year to the finish. The bus driver had to peel his arms from his seat and hand him to his teacher each morning. The principal used to call me after drop-off to assure me he was OK. He cried every day. Most days, I cried, too.
I remember trying to comfort him, and myself, with the only words I could find.
“Beginnings are hard,” I told him gently. “Even good things are hard at the start, but then it gets easier.” And as he grew older, the words I spoke changed, but their meaning stayed the same. “Everything worth doing is hard at the beginning,” I told him when he struggled in a new class or with a project. “And just because it’s hard doesn’t mean you should stop doing it.”
I thought back to Clara and her struggle to be perfect on her first day of school. I thought about the effort it took for her to keep her composure and to be brave. Those long-ago words came back to me. They seemed true and right even after 22 years.
“Beginnings are hard,” I repeated in my head. “Even good beginnings.”
Leslie Snow may be reached at snow column@aol.com.
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