WHITEHURST....PG 8
MUSEUM.......PG 9
Vol 22, No. 5 • September 2022
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West Point Band Director shares love of music learned in Corinth By Lucy Weber Blake Patterson knew when he a sophomore at Corinth High School that his future would be in music. Now, he shares his love of music with students in West Point. He is in his second year as assistant band director at West Point High School. He also teaches music to students in grades 612 in the school district, introducing middle school students to their instruments and leading the high schoolers in honing their marching and concert skills.. "I love music. I quit playing baseball in high school to concentrate on music. I knew when I was in tenth grade this was what I wanted to do," he said. Patterson graduated from Mississippi State with a degree in music education while performing as a percussionist with the Famous Maroon Band. He met his wife, a West Point native who was a clarinetist, in the State band, and they have two daughters. The 92 members of Green Wave band, including color guard and dancers, are performing their half-time show "In the Arena" this football season that includes original, custom-written songs for the show, one that Patterson is highly entertaining. "It's a Roman battle that starts with the
entrance of the fighters and builds up to the final battle," Patterson said. "It's something new for this area. A lot of things go into this. It's a big production," he said. "It's way more of a challenge." After football season, Patterson said the student musicians will get ready for concert season. The marching season, the concert season and the classroom time with the students makes for a wonderful career, Patterson said. "I love it all. It's better than I ever thought it would be." Patterson spends the first four period of each class day working with middle school students
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has to have skills on other instruments so he can teach his students everything from woodwinds to brass instruments. "That can be the toughest part of my job because I have to set aside time to practice other instruments." It's all worth it, though, Patterson said, when he shows his middle school students the videos he makes of them at various learning stages to show them the progress they make on their instruments.
so important in other areas. Band teaches them discipline by practicing every day to get better," he said. In the long run, music can pay off for parents also. "Once band students graduate, it's very easy to get scholarships for college by joining the college band, even if they're not music majors. I encourage my students to go on and continue playing at college." Patterson said he comes by his love of music through his parents. His father John Owens has been a deejay for decades and his mother Charlotte was a long-time choir member.
“As the drummer, I know that drums fully support the band. Their rhythm keeps things within the pulse and contributes to the overall energy of each performance. I am a
Blake Patterson
in the beginner band. "The best part of my job is working with the kids, watching how they grow with their instruments." Although Patterson is a percussionist, from drums to xylophones, he
Parents should consider getting their children to consider joining the school band to learn an instrument, he said. "No other teacher is more invested in students than a band director. We work with them every single day. We are fully invested in these kids "The lessons they learn in band are
very balanced person and I realize that through my personal level of balance, I also outwardly balance Stjepan and Luka.” - Dušan Kranjc