March is Music in Our Schools Month. Some of the best memories I have from my school days are participating in band and choir. I favored band, but only because I have never been able to carry a tune.
Of all of the subjects I took in school, band was by far my favorite. It is a subject just like math, history, English, etc. It requires learning. I played the clarinet from the fifth grade until I graduated from high school. My first band instructor was Joe Chapman when I attended school in Tekamah-Herman. He was one of the best instructors ever. I say that because I had another amazing band instructor when I came to Oakland-Craig, Bryan Johnson.
I learned a great deal from both of these men. The memories I have of participating in band are some of the best memories I have from high school. There were times I wanted to quit. I remember when we moved to Oakland when I was starting my sophomore year of school. I walked into the band room and there were maybe 25-30 students in the band. I couldn’t believe my eyes. When I was in band in Tekamah, there were 90 or more in band.
After school, I told mom that I wanted to quit. She didn’t want me to. She told me to try it for a while and then see what I thought.
As time went on, the band grew. Mr. Johnson had gained the respect of the students and parents and more and more students joined the band. By the time I was a senior, we were over double the number of members from when I was a sophomore. Needless to say, I never thought about quitting again.
My senior year, we had District Music Contest in Tekamah. It seemed so odd to be going back to my old school for the last district contest I would play in. I was nervous that day, but yet confident. The small group I was in had practiced early in the mornings for weeks in preparation for the contest. The band sounded great. I had high hopes for the day.
Mr. Chapman found me just before my small group was to play. He told me how lucky Oakland-Craig was to have Mr. Johnson. I knew he was right. Mr. Chapman also came in and listened to my group play. I never felt so honored.
It takes time to get the judges results after playing, which made me even more nervous. I remember walking into the classroom our band was in and Brenda Nelson, one of the small group members, held up one finger to me, meaning we got a one, which is superior. The best rating possible and we had received it! I cried and cried. All of us from our group did, as we had never had the highest rating before.
The band played later that afternoon. I was nervous again. I think we all were. When we were finished, I knew we had gotten a superior. We had never sounded so good as we did that day!
Once the rating came in, we were all standing in front of the wall where they were posted, with Mr. Johnson. When the superior rating was posted we were all crying and hollering like we had just won the lottery! I will never forget the look on Mr. Johnson’s face. It was the first superior rating for Oakland-Craig’s band ever! That was just the beginning of what he would achieve in the many years to come, until he retired.
I learned a great deal from band and both of my instructors. I am blessed to have learned from the best. Mr. Chapman resides in Blair. Mr. Johnson passed away unexpectedly in August of 2012. He is greatly missed by all as he did so much for so many.
I still get my clarinet out from time to time and play the school song and think of these two and all they have done for so many people.
Music in school is important, and a gift one never forgets.
Kat Country Hub 
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