Tough love: the different sides of Mr. Keith
The Millard West Marching Band heads down Colorado Boulevard under the direction of Mr. Keith
Monday morning. 7:15am.
It’s dark. It’s cold. It’s wet. The football field is damp with dew and fog covers the school grounds like a shroud covers bones.
Yet in spite of these deterrents to going outside, the Millard West marching band–them of Rose Bowl fame, widely recognized to be one of the absolute best–does so anyway. Dressed not in the uniforms they wear to football games but in whatever jeans, shirts, and jackets they chose to wear today. They brave the elements for this Monday morning practice. Bearing the weight of their instruments, from the lightweight flute to monstrous tuba, the band students march and play and shiver in the early-morning darkness.
There was never any chance of the practice being canceled by the elements; the only instruction the students received was to ‘dress for the occasion’.
Then something goes wrong. Somebody takes a wrong step, or plays a wrong note.
The football field falls silent—everyone knows what will happen, but no one speaks up.
The band director materializes out of the gloom; his words fall upon the student like hailstones, his tone deep, his expression stern. And just like that, band director returns to whence he came.
*****
Wednesday afternoon. 2:00pm.
Deep within the bowels of Millard West, nestled far back within the music wing, John Keith rubs the sleep from his eyes. “Okay,” he says to the assistant band director, Ken Krause. “I’ve got nine-nine-nine, seven-seven-five.”
Krause frowns. “Let me see it,” he says finally.
Keith passes the sheet of paper over—it’s the seating chart for an upcoming performance, and a particular section is giving him problems. As Krause looks it over, the marching band director lets out a tired yawn. He’s short on sleep—the result of an all-consuming commitment to the Millard West marching band nearly a decade in the making.
“I’ve been band director for nine years,” Keith says, “and I’ve been teaching for eighteen.”
Such a tenure is indicative of a strong commitment, and that’s exactly what Mr. Keith has. Under his tutelage, the Millard West marching band has risen to incredible heights of skill and ability; this rise to prominence will peak over the upcoming winter break, when the band will travel to Pasadena, California to perform in the 2010 Tournament of Roses Parade.
“It felt great to be selected,” Keith says enthusiastically, his eyes shining. “I’m very proud of the band—how they perform will reflect not only on them, but on past [band] members, and on Millard West itself.”
*****
Keith is an excellent band director; the large awards case on the wall outside of his band room eliminates any doubt of that. At the same time, though, he has received flak from students and parents alike for being overly tough on students.
“He thinks band is more important than anything else,” one student said in contempt. “I play a sport, and if it ever interferes with band practice, Mr. Keith is always adamant about band coming first.”
Another student agrees that Keith can be strict and even harsh sometimes, but that they are valuable traits in a band director.
“He does a good job teaching,” junior Joe Farley said. “Yeah, he’s really persistent, but we wouldn’t be as good as we are if he wasn’t. He’s strong in his musical knowledge, and he picks good musical selections that the band and audience both enjoy.”
“I have very high expectations, both in performance and in work ethic,” Keith says, his gaze unwavering. “Sometimes, students don’t share that level of expectation and it takes a little extra . . . “
He pauses, searching for the right word.
” . . . motivation to get them there.”
*****
January 1st, 2010 10:50AM
They came around the bend in the road–first a few, then a few more, and then the whole lot of them. A sea of black, white, and green flowed down Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California at a brisk clip, preceded both by a banner announcing their presence and the melodious sound of their music. The spectators on either side of the street–all 700,000 of them, enough to line both sides of Colorado Boulevard for all six miles of the parade route–erupted into cheers and applause as the Millard West marching band went past.
Morning light glinted off their instruments, reflecting every which way and heliographing in the sun; the cool morning air worked valiantly to counter the heat of their heavy, constricting, oppressively hot uniforms, succeeding only partially; the sounds of their instruments–the sharp heralding of trumpets and saxophones, the high, reedy chirps of flutes and clarinets, and the low, rolling dirges of tubas and euphoniums–filled the air, synced perfectly with the pace at which the band marched.
The Millard West band was #46 on the parade card, both preceded and followed by a colorful variety of parade floats as well as a number of other marching bands, including the Ohio School for the Blind marching band and the Kansai Green Honor Band from Kansai, Japan.
Alongside them marched Mr. Keith. Dressed in a sharp suit and tie, he strolled down Colorado Boulevard to the left of the marching band, waving to the cheering masses and beaming with pride. His face was dominated by a broad smile that seemed to stretch from ear to ear.
“To be selected for the Rose Bowl was a huge honor,” Keith said. “Only the best of the best get selected, and it’s not only a reflection on those who march in the parade, but past band members and Millard West itself as well.”
But ultimately, he says, it’s all about the students.
“My favorite parts about being band director are making music and watching kids develop–sometimes, though, it’s like pulling teeth to get them where they need to be.”
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