June 2007 - volume 8 - issue 4
Robert E. Lee High School Band, Midland, Texas
Randy Storie, Director
Bryan Patterson and Daniel Balkema, Assistant Directors
The Robert E. Lee High School Rebel Band in Midland is a product of hard work, passion and tradition. At Lee High School, we face many challenges including lack of financial resources and an unusual middle school configuration. The staff that we have at Lee and our feeder schools are the first reason that our program is able to be successful: Lee Freshman High School (Brian Collins), Alamo Junior High School (Geoffrey Elsner, Mande Gragg) and Abell Junior High School (Jay Derington, Robert Simmons). As a staff, we work extremely hard to team teach to the fullest extent possible. Our teachers travel from school to school all day to assist with beginner classes, rehearsals and sectionals. The private lesson staff that we have is also a major contributor to our success.
Every year, we try to bring in the greatest musical minds possible to help our staff and students. This past year we had the pleasure to work with some of the best directors in the state. The experiences that we are able to share with these wonderful people are vital to the motivation and passion for us as a staff as well as instill in our students.
We are also blessed to have a group of parents who are strongly dedicated to our program. They work as hard on their contributions as we do on our teaching. Also our program could not continue to do what we do every year without supportive administration, especially Principal Patrick Jones.
The greatest reason for the continued success of the Lee High School band is the students. We have a sign over the entrance to the band hall that states The worlds greatest kids pass through these doors! We truly feel that way about our students. We try to motivate the students to continue the great tradition that has been at Lee High School since long before any of us arrived. Our staff stress fundamentals, All Region Band, solo and ensemble contests, and great music. We challenge the students to their limit and sometimes beyond that, but the students put in amazing effort to achieve our goals. They work before and after school in the band hall practicing and helping each other. The more advanced students work with others until they are successful. The students take on a great deal of responsibility in maintaining the standard. The band motto is Nothing we have done in the past will ever be good enough again. Our students take this motto very seriously and look back at all of the achievements that the band has enjoyed over the years and do everything they possibly can to maintain and surpass that high standard. We encourage our students to continue their band careers after they leave Lee and are proud that many do. We are even more proud that the Lee Band has produced many outstanding band directors who continue to inspire their students to love band and music. To sum up the success of the Lee Band in a few words, we would say: hard work, tradition, passion, motivation, and a lot of heart.
The Exemplary Band Program award is given by the TBA Board of Directors to a band program and director that have proven to have been a consistently exemplary performing band program in Texas for a long period of time.
Director Randy Storie along with Bryan Patterson and Daniel Balkema, Assistant Directors, will share more insight about their exemplary band programs in their clinic presentation at the TBA Convention/Clinic on Saturday, July 21 at 5:00 PM in Convention Center Room 217
Randy Storie
Randy Storie is currently in his twenty-seventh year as the Director of Bands at Robert E. Lee High School in Midland, Texas. He has taught in Texas public schools for 37 years. A native Texan, Mr. Storie grew up in Odessa, Texas and graduated from Odessa High School. He received both his bachelor's and master's degrees from West Texas State University and has completed some post-graduate work at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin.
While at Lee, Mr. Storie's bands have set the pace for high school bands in West Texas. The Lee band has been awarded first division ratings in every contest they have participated under Mr. Storie's leadership. The Lee High School band has been selected to represent Region VI at the State U.I.L. Marching Contest seventeen times since 1980, and has been a top ten finalist in the Texas AAAAA Honor Band competition fourteen times since 1980. In January of 1995 and 1999 the Lee Band was selected to perform in the Texas Gubernatorial Inaugural Parade. This past year the Lee band was awarded their 37th consecutive U.I.L. Sweepstakes Award for Division I rating in Marching, Sightreading, and Concert.
Mr. Storie's bands have performed at the Mid-West Clinic in Chicago, Carnegie Hall, the Tournament of Roses Parade, Hawaii and many other places throughout the country. The Lee Band has been awarded the John Phillip Sousa Sudler Flag of Honor and has performed at Presidential Inaugural Parades for Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush. The most recent honor for the Lee Band is a special invitation to perform at the 29th annual Western International Band Clinic in Seattle, Washington in November 2007.
During Mr. Storie's tenure at Lee High School, 207 of his students have been named to the Texas All-State Band and Orchestra. Many of his students have gone into music careers. Mr. Storie is in constant demand as a clinician and judge throughout the nation. In 1993, he was named organizer for the Texas All-State Symphonic Band and currently serves as a member of the Texas Bandmaster's Hall of Fame Committee sponsored by Phi Beta Mu. In February of 1996, he was elected to a two-year term as vice president of the band division of the Texas Music Educators Association. In that same year, he was awarded the Bandworld's Legion of Honor. In March of 2007, Mr. Storie was inducted into the American Bandmasters Association.
Bryan Patterson
Bryan Patterson
Bryan Patterson is in his first year as assistant band director at Robert E. Lee High School in Midland, Texas. Before Lee High School, he spent two years teaching at J. T. Hutchinson Junior High School in Lubbock, Texas. A native of Odessa, Texas, Mr. Patterson graduated from Permian High School in 1999. He attended Texas Tech University where he graduated with a bachelors degree in music education in 2004 and during his time there, earned various awards as a member of the "Goin' Band from Raiderland."
At Lee High School, Mr. Patterson's duties include assisting with the marching band and conducting the Symphonic Band. This past year, his band was awarded Sweepstakes for first division ratings in UIL concert and sight-reading and also Superior ratings and Runner-Up in Class at the Alamo Showcase of Music. In addition to the Symphonic Band, he also assists at Lee Freshman High School and teaches beginning brass classes at Abell and Alamo Junior High Schools. Mr. Patterson resides in Midland with his wonderfully supportive wife, Sheila.
Daniel Balkema
Daniel Balkema
Daniel Balkema is in his third year at Lee Senior High School and third year of teaching. A graduate from the University of North Texas, he graduated with honors with a Bachelors of Music in Education. While Mr. Balkema was a student at UNT, he studied with Dr. Leonard Candelaria and Iskander Akmahdullin on Trumpet, was a member of the Concert Band under the direction of Fred Velez, the UNT Brass Band under Dr. Brian Bowman and the UNT Green Brigade under Fred Velez.
Mr. Balkema completed his student teaching at The Colony High School and Arbor Creek Middle school in the Lewisville Independent School District just north of Dallas in December of 2003. After graduating in 2003, Mr. Balkema was hired in the Midland Independent School District as an Assistant Band Director at Lee Senior High School. While at Lee Senior High School, he has had the opportunity of working with the Honor Band, Symphonic Band, and Lee Freshman Symphonic band and has directed the Lee Freshman Concert band. His many responsibilities include assisting the Lee High School marching band, teaching various beginner band classes including cornet, horn, trombone and baritone class at both Abell Junior High and Alamo Junior High and teaching high school level sectionals. Mr. Balkema is the director the Lee High School Jazz Band.
Mr. Balkema is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Educators Association, Texas Classroom Teachers Association and was nominated in 2006 for the "Who's Who Among American Teacher's" Award.
