Hello to veterans and new folk alike! Welcome to the Scott Band webpage. Our choir page is still under construction, so a hello to all current and future Scott musicians! With the WMS transitions fair happening at the end of this week as well as the scheduling portal opening soon, allow me to introduce myself.
My name is Bryce Miller, band and choir director for Scott High School. I am currently in my 7th year teaching both band and choir, this being my 4th at Scott. I went to college at Murray State University for my undergrad and Kent State University for my graduate degree, both of which are in music education. I am a member of the Kentucky Music Educator's Association, American Choral Director's Association, and American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP). By performance trade, I am a percussionist, woodwind (clarinet/sax), and I sing baritone. I've had a passion for music since learning piano from my grandmother at a very young age and am lucky enough to spend my life teaching others that same passion.
My personal mission: to encourage youth to make art, no matter what they're doing; to teach discipline in the creative process to encourage true growth in creation and performance. I believe that when students are encouraged to take creative risks, they learn life lessons in handling both failure and success. At the Scott Music Department, we build up the student in order to refine the performance. Leadership and collaboration is both a crucial concept and mission goal. Be it performance, public speaking, projects, college applications...make good art.
Recently, we've had students from this department do the following: make All-State Band and Choir, perform in the Sydney Opera House, obtain the coveted bugler role for the University of Louisville marching Band, make the Drum Corps International World Champion Cadets, make Governor's School for the Arts, and go on to various fields in music in college. And that's just in the last year!
With our recent bounds in success and involvement (for example: we are in the middle of our first year of competitive Winter Guard), we are raising the demand even higher for our department for next year. This will come with more expectations of our performers. Our marching band show will feature more mature concepts and elaborate music/design, our choir will take more performance opportunities in our community, and both will travel to Florida in order to perform in Disney World. The band will march down Disney World Main Street and the Choir will sing at one of their amazing venues.
Because of these (and more) opportunities, I am asking that members who wish to participate in band and choir at this level sign up for at least two trimesters of either band or choir with one of those trimesters being the 3rd trimester (when the larger trip will occur). Additionally, band members who wish to participate fully and go to Florida will also need to sign-up for the Fall marching band (which incurs an outside practice schedule and two weeks of on-campus camp prior to school beginning).
Opportunities such as Select Band, Xavier Honor Band/Choir, May Festival, Instrumental and Vocal Solo/Ensemble, etc will also be available to those who are in two trimesters of either ensemble.
AND YES...WE DO WORK WITH ACADEMY SCHEDULES! MAKE SURE TO LET YOUR COUNSELOR KNOW YOU WANT TO BE IN 2 TRIMESTERS OF AN ENSEMBLE!
(band and choir both have am and pm slots for first trimester, second and third trimester feature band in 3rd [so academy students can join beginning half or latter half depending on their academy schedule]).
Do your best to make music a priority! We all listen to music throughout our day...let's ensure its future by being those that make it!
Best wishes,
Bryce L. Miller
Director
Scott Band and Choir