A note from Coast Episcopal School Music Director, Mrs. Jody Smith
“Intellectually, the band is a fantastic opportunity for our 6th graders to synthesize all of the musical concepts they have been working on since preschool. Our wonderful teachers at Coast Episcopal School, both past and present, have laid the foundation for all of this music to happen.
Socially, band meant a lot to me growing up because it gave me a voice. I didn’t realize I had a talent for music until I started playing my trumpet. Band gave me opportunities to make new, diverse friends and have new experiences. It taught me discipline and responsibility.
Emotionally, my middle school and high school band director inspired my classmates and I because he made us feel like we were valuable to him. He literally had at least 200 or more students at any given time, but he knew each one of us by name and knew something special about us. He brought out the best in each kid. Mr. Brand recently passed away, and his wife actually gave me some of his old instruments this summer to use in our band program here at Coast. I love that we have those instruments in our classroom. It reminds me of him and inspires me to continue his loving legacy.”
Ways for our Coast Community to Help:
- Come to our 6th-grade band concerts and cheer us on.
- If you have a band instrument laying around your house and wish to donate it to the school, we will put it to good use.
- If you, a friend, or a grandparent play a band instrument and have time to come and work with our students, please contact us.
- You can also help financially by considering a donation to the Don Theriot Music fund here at Coast Episcopal, no matter how large or small. Mr. Theriot loved music, and his family set up a fund to support our music program. Through this fund, we are able to purchase instruments and supplies for our Coast music students. Our goal is to keep this fund alive and growing, as the needs of our programs and students are always evolving.
For more information, please email communications@myces.org or call 228-452-9442.
