A new piper will call the tune

Published 8:00 pm Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Kelsey Michie takes the reins of the Bainbridge High marching band.

For Kelsey Michie, life is in the rhythm, melody and harmony of music. Even in high school, she knew the tools of her future trade would be piccolos, pianos and tom-toms.

“When you major in music education, you know what you’re going to be. You’re going to be a band director,” Michie said.

Now just out of college, she has fulfilled her destiny by taking the band director position at Bainbridge High School for the 2006-2007 school year.

Michie credits her interest in music to Bruce Beach, her band director at Franklin High School in El Paso, Texas, who was not only a father-figure but supported her potential career even when her parents didn’t.

“My parents, especially my dad, didn’t understand my interest in music. They often told me that music wasn’t a real major,” Michie said.

But Beach stressed the opposite and encouraged her to continue with her studies.

She did, proving her commitment during her senior year by trying out and placing second overall, for the Texas All-State Band Auditions.

Luckily for her, the first chair decided to play for the orchestra which allowed Michie to play piccolo as first chair in the band section.

“My parents finally said, ‘yeah, you can do this, you can be a band major,” she said.

Michie, 23, fell in love with the Puget Sound area when she marched with the Seattle Cascades Drum and Bugle Corps in 2003 and 2004. When the position for band director at Bainbridge High School opened up, she eagerly submitted her resume.

“Growing up in Texas is probably why I’m gung-ho about marching bands,” she said. “In Texas, you’re either involved in football, cheerleading or band.”

Michie attended the University of Arizona where she majored in music education. Her principle instrument is the flute, but she also plays the French horn, mellephone, baritone and trumpet.

Among her other accomplishments is her performance for master classes, in which students are selected to perform for a professional musician and then receive a lecture by the musician all in front of an audience.

Michie also taught drum and band in Tucson, and gave her services at the middle school level as well.

Michie cites the students final performance as the highlight of her career.

“You feel so proud of them for the performance – and seeing them happy with their performance,” she said. “When they like the music and like what they’re doing that’s most rewarding.”

Michie has big plans for the band program at the high school. She circulated a questionnaire at the Grand Old Fourth parade asking students what music they prefer to perform; the overwhelming response was jazz.

New to the band program this year will be a color guard led by Kate Baerlocher, while this year’s drum majors are senior Mason Tejera and junior Jonathan Potter.

The band will also appear in two competitions this school year, in Everett and then Auburn.

Besides getting the color guard up and running, Michie would also like to see the band compete well and be proud of its performances, citing the excellence of the BHS jazz band.

Through her instruction, she wants her students not only to learn to play the music but the history behind the pieces.

Michie says that too often students leave the band room without knowing the music they’re learning to play and she’s adament about changing that.

“Music is about learning – theory, analysis, appreciation,” she said. “I’ll incorporate these theories into the concert bands so they can learn about the music they’re performing.”

She expects her students to work hard to get the most out of their high school band experience, just as she did.

“I’m really looking forward to working with the administration and the band parents to give students a beneficial musical experience,” Michie said.

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Band on the run

The Bainbridge High School Marching Band makes its debut performance under the direction of Kelsey Michie when the Spartan football team hosts Bremerton at 7 p.m. Sept. 8 at Memorial Stadium.