INTERVIEW: Andrew Scherer, Director of Bands at Lyons High School

Bowen Boyack of KBN: Tell me about yourself and what inspired you to get this job as a band director at Lyons.

Andrew Scherer: I graduated from K-State in 2016 and am now in my third year of teaching and my third year at Lyons. I interviewed at three schools and got offers at two of them quickly. I chose Lyons for several reasons. The administration is extremely supportive of the music department, it's not too far away from Wichita where both my and my wife's parents live, and it felt like a place where my efforts would be valued. It really is an amazing place to teach, and I love working with great administration and colleagues.

BB: Tell me a little bit about the Band Program here at LHS.

AS: I run the entire 6-12 band program at Lyons, though our 6-12 vocal teacher assists me during High School Band rehearsals and performances. We start band in 6th grade, and it's mandatory for all 6th graders to take band. Our school provides all instruments, equipment, reeds, etc., to our students. At the high school level, we do concert band, pep band, and marching band. Last year we bought uniforms for our marching band who wore jeans and a polo previously, and this year we added a color guard and a parade banner. In the spring, I push many of my high school students to prepare solos and ensembles for festival.  In 7th and 8th grade, we focus mainly on concert band with some dabbling in pep band. Next week, my 7th and 8th graders will perform at the last home high school basketball game in a mass 7-12 pep band. They learn the "SPITS" and "Riffs" that make up the core of what we play during timeouts at football and basketball games. I also require every 7th and 8th grade student to prepare either a solo or an ensemble in the spring, though not all of them must perform it at festival. In my band program, I make frequent use of online programs such as SmartMusic, Theta Music, MusicTheory.net, and Google Classroom to be able to assess my students and track their progress with hard data. After our concert performances are over each semester, I teach my students to use MuseScore, a free music notation program, with projects that involve transcribing, arranging, and composing. Some of the values I prioritize in my program include adaptability, work ethic, discipline, and commitment, and I hope that every student leaves my program with the skills necessary to continue playing band in college and a work ethic and attitude to succeed in whatever profession they pursue.

BB: What inspired your musical selections this year for marching band?

AS: Our theme this year was James Bond. I try to alternate our shows between popular music and more serious thematic or film score music to expose students to a wider variety of shows in their four years in marching band. Then I look for how well our instrumentation suits potential shows. This year I knew I was going to have a strong trumpet section, so I went with some selections that relied more on the trumpets and pushed their range. I didn't didn't include a ballad in the last two shows we learned, which are very difficult to pull off well especially with thinner instrumentation, but I knew I wanted to challenge my band this year after having a talented incoming freshman class. I selected "Skyfall" to be that ballad, which included very powerful mellophone lines. This required two of my strongest trumpet players to briefly switch out their trumpets for mellophones. It worked out really well, and our students and parents really enjoyed it.

BB: What competitions did you go to this marching season and what ratings/scores did you get?

AS: We performed in the KS State Fair Parade and Arena, earning Superiors for both performances. Normally, we'd attend the Central States festival at K-State but couldn't this year due to conflicts with athletics. We did attend the Southern Plains Marching Festival in Andover, though an important test rescheduling prevented several of our key players from attending, including our bass drummer, who plays all four bass drums on stationary diagonal stands. Being a last minutes change and not having time to teach another student the part, I ended up learning and performing the part myself, so we went for comments only. I felt it was better for the students to attend and properly perform at the one field show festival we'd been working toward all season than to either cancel or set them up for failure without the bass drum part. We ended up receiving very positive comments from both judges and audience members.

BB: Tell me about the upcoming trips you will be taking within the next 3-4 years.

AS: Traditionally, we alternate trips every two years between the Festival of Music at Worlds of Fun and the Winter Park Ski-Music Festival in Colorado. We went to Worlds of Fun last year, and the trip to Colorado is currently being planned for next year.

BB: What concert band repertoire are your bands playing this year? When are your upcoming performances?

AS: This spring, my high school band is preparing the first two movements of the "Hudson River Suite" by John O'Reilly and "The Machine Awakes" by Steven Bryant. My 7th/8th grade band is preparing a gorgeous ballad called "At Peace" by Matt Conaway and "High Voltage" by Randall Standridge. The Machine Awakes and High Voltage are unique pieces that involve the use of electronic sound effects. I try to expose my students to a wide variety of both traditional and contemporary compositions. Later on in the semester I will add in 1-2 more pieces of very different styles. We have our High School Central Kansas League festival on February 27, our Middle School CKL festival on March 5, and state festival is April 17. Our spring concert is May 2.

BB: Looking forward to 2019, any plans for your band that you would be willing to share?

AS: Our school is currently going through the state's Gemini II Redesign program, which could involve big changes to scheduling and an increasing use of online learning platforms. My hope is to increase opportunities during the school day to see students in small groups and one-on-one for private lessons outside of rehearsing the full band every day each week. I'd also like to build more interest in a jazz band and establish a program that meets during the school day if possible. For marching season, I aim to increase the size of our new color guard and coordinate with our football team to spice up their entrance to the field.