Saving a Band Program

Saving a Band Program by Liz Roepke

In the small town of Vandalia, IL, just 35 minutes west of Effingham, a local band director’s job is on the line. Samuel Music has been calling on Tony Hicks’ high school band program for the past few years. He, along with junior high and beginning director Sara Berg, have worked arduously to build Vandalia’s band program. It wasn’t that long ago when Vandalia only had a mediocre program. Today, they have a competitive marching band that is not only winning awards, but it also has students who are receiving music scholarships assisting them in going to college to pursue a music career.

Earlier this year, the Vandalia school board announced that Mr. Hicks’ job would be cut due to funding and Mrs. Berg would be in charge of teaching all band programs. Since then, the Vandalia band boosters have joined together with the Vandalia community to raise $55,000 to save their program and Mr. Hicks’ position. Last night, a fundraiser was held to raise money for the program. St. Louis’ news station, KSDK, was there last night and put together an excellent piece about what this little town is doing to keep the music alive. It’s not only a tribute to a well-respected teacher, but it also highlights the importance of why we do what we do each and every day. I thought this was a good piece of news to share amid the many hurdles we work through each day!

Here’s the link to the news piece.

Thank you,
Liz Roepke
Regional Manager | Samuel Music Co.