About the FHS Crimson Band
Located in Mandeville, Louisiana, Fontainebleau
High School is part of the St. Tammany Parish School System, which is
known to be the top school district in Louisiana. The instrumental music program at Fontainebleau High School is
quickly becoming one of the most recognized high school band programs in
Louisiana, and continuously works to “Raise the Bar.” Students in
the program constantly strive to improve themselves as musicians,
students, and leaders in the school and community. The
Fontainebleau High School band program is offers a comprehensive music education
offering concert, jazz, and marching ensembles open to all Fontainebleau
High School students interested in music. It is one of the largest and most successful
organizations at Fontainebleau High School and is thankful for the constant support of
the school district and all of the FHS administration, faculty, staff,
and students.
The program was established by director Roland Huie
in 1994 with the opening of the school. At that time, being a new school, the program began with about 30
members while Mr. Huie worked diligently to develop the program over the
next 8½ years.
In the fall
of 2002 he was joined by Mr. Lee Hicks who was hired as the assistant
director of bands.
In the
spring of 2003 Mr. Huie decided to take a sabbatical to complete his
Masters in Administration and immediately moved into an administration
position after completing his Masters later that semester. Mr. Hicks took over the position as Director of Bands in January
2003 and has been thankful to Mr. Huie for giving him that opportunity
ever since.
Since Mr. Hicks became the Director of Bands the
program has seen immense growth and now boasts a membership of over 150
members.
The
program has taken giant steps in recent years, becoming one of
Louisiana’s premier high school band programs and growing to 3 concert
bands, 2 jazz ensembles, marching band, winter guard, and winter
percussion.
All of these
ensembles achieve very high levels of performance and consistently
receive superior ratings at district, state, and national festivals.
The marching band, known as the “Crimson Band from
Bulldog Land” performs at FHS football games, Mardi Gras Parades,
community events, and has been seen marching down Main Street in Walt
Disney World on several occasions.
In
the fall of 2003 the Crimson Band attended its first marching festival
and began its journey toward becoming an excellent marching program. After hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 the group was offered
their first opportunity to participate in the Louisiana Showcase of
Marching Bands which showcases 32 of the top marching bands in
Louisiana.
With the loss of
6 weeks of school due to the damage and destruction caused by the
hurricanes the band appeared at the 2005 Louisiana Showcase of Marching
Bands and after only 4 weeks of rehearsal and placed 22 out of the 32
bands in attendance.
The dedication and commitment it took to even put a show together after
such a traumatic experience was proof of the programs support by the
students and the families who were there.
The community was devastated by the storms and some families were
housing fifteen, maybe even twenty or more people as they were sharing
homes and rooms with relatives and friends displaced by the storms.
Many students and families were displaced from their homes and
living in FEMA trailers, with other families, or with major destruction
around them. Several of our
students did not return to Mandeville after evacuating and several new
students joined the program after they had lost everything they owned in
other areas of Louisiana. In
retrospect, even though it was a rough time for the directors, students,
and families, it brought the program to another level by bringing the
group together and providing an escape from the unfortunate reality of
what was really happening outside of the band program.
The show was titled “The Incredibles,” which, in retrospect, is
quite ironic when realizing just how amazing it was to put a show
together so quickly. The students in the band during that experience were truly,
“The Incredibles.”
Since that first experience
in the Louisiana Showcase of Marching Bands, the Fontainebleau Crimson
Band has returned to the festival to place in the top 5 for the past 3
years; placing 3 in 2006, 5th in 2007, and being named
“Reserve Grand Champions,” for 2nd place in 2008. The Crimson Band also attended its first Bands of America
Regional in 2008 and looks forward to participating in more national
festivals with many outstanding bands from around the country.
The programs three concert bands are establishing themselves as well,
consistently receiving superior ratings at district, state, and national
festivals. Because the school is one of the largest in Louisiana, these
ensembles are required to perform some of the more difficult band
literature available.
Recent
literature performed by the ensemble includes
Aspen Jubilee by Ron Nelson,
A Movement for Rosa by Mark
Camphouse, Pastime by Jack
Stamp, Be Thou My Vision by
David Gillingham, Cloudburst
by Eric Whitacre, Children’s March
by Percy Aldridge Grainger, and numerous other well-known pieces by
noted composers such as Frank Ticheli, Jack Stamp, Percy Grainger, John
Philip Sousa, and many others.
The Fontainebleau Jazz program consists of the Jazz
Ensemble One and the Jazz Workshop and is developing a strong reputation
throughout the state and country. The Fontainebleau Jazz Ensemble One has participated in the
Loyola Jazz Festival receiving sweepstakes awards each year since Mr.
Hicks started the group in 2003.In the spring of 2008 the group was invited to participate in the
1st Swing Central National Jazz Ensemble Competition as part
of the Savannah Music Festival in Savannah, Georgia. As one of 12 jazz ensembles invited to participate from around
the country, the Fontainebleau Jazz Ensemble One placed fourth behind
some truly amazing high school jazz ensembles including:
Agoura High School Blue Ensemble
from Agoura Hills, California in 3rd place, - Dillard School
of the Arts of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in 2nd place, and New
World School of the Arts from Miami, Florida who won 1st
place.
Mr. Hicks and the
members of the Jazz Ensemble One were honored to be part of such a great
festival and look forward to returning to Savannah in the near future. In March of 2009 the Fontainebleau Jazz Ensemble One was named
Louisiana State Grand Champion at the 2009 Louisiana Association of Jazz
Educators state jazz ensemble competition and festival.
There is a place in the FHS Band for any student
interested in learning to play an instrument and have a memorable time
belonging to the best student organization on campus! The program will continue to set its goals higher each year and
its members will continue to have the DESIRE to succeed, the DISCIPLINE
to work towards success, and the DEDICATION to continue “raising the
bar.”
It’s “the pride of West St. Tammany,” the
Fontainebleau High School Crimson Band from Bulldog Land!
