All about band

Cassandra Butler, 25, is the current band director at John I. Burton. She did her student teaching at Dobyns Bennett High School and Powell High School in Knoxville.  She also previously worked at John Sevier Middle School. She currently teaches at both JIB and NEMS and said "It's the best of both worlds." She continued on to say she doesn't have a favorite.  Ultimately, she struggles with some of the attitudes in high school, but likes that JIB students are able to work on their own.

The show the band is performing this year is, "The Routes of Country Music."  Mrs. Butler said she wasn't thrilled about the country theme in the beginning, but now she loves it. The drum major, the individual who directs the performance, is Ben Hayes, sophomore. To try out for the position, he had to have patterns, he had to be able to do commands, and for the audition he had to figure out a piece.  He had to focus on controlling his left hand to make the band get louder or softer. The section leaders include: Sierra K., Evan W., Cassie I., Marissa M., Nathan W., Ron Y, Thomas C, Matthew G., Tyler (Paul) I., and Ashley W.. They also had to audition for a spot; they were very competitive. To audition for their spot, they had several questions they had to answer.  Mrs. Butler gave them a given scenario, and they had to tell how they would act or react, or what they would do.


By the time school started, the band members had already been working on the show for two months, and now they have been working on it for four months. With the help of multiple summer camps, the band has improved a lot from last year, according to Mrs. Butler. They practice three days a week for around two hours.

The competitions they're going to participate in this year are at Wise Central, Big Stone, U.V.A. Wise and David Crockett; this competition will be held next Saturday, September 26. When asked if she thought they'd be successful this season, Mrs. Butler replied with, "We have the tools to be." The reason they have band competitions is to justify what they're doing, "What we do is so much more than just entertainment.  The kids are actually learning things." The band competitions are very structured and there are a lot of judges to make sure everyone is doing everything right.  They are judged on how the music sounds, as well as the general effect.  They are also judged on how the category looks, and each category of instruments is judged for their performance.  The drum major's performance is also especially important for success in competition. She said they go to competitions to get feedback on how their doing, and then they use the feedback to make themselves better and to beat the bands that will be there next week. When Lilly R., a band participant of two years, was asked her opinions on band, she replied with, "I'm glad I joined because it's fun to participate in. It's a great way to make new friends and learn about music." She said she thinks they will do really well this season.  Lilly has also added that she has a lot of friends that are in band, and she enjoys all it has to offer.

The season lasts from June to December and then it doesn't really stop there. Band members have to be very committed and dedicated. It takes working as a team, working with different personalities, and getting along with each other.  Mrs. Butler has 65 students in band this year and although that seems really overwhelming, she said that it isn't that bad because she's been working with most of them for a while and she has a relationship with all of them.

Burtons Blog wishes the band good luck on their upcoming competitions.