| Dear upcoming 9th graders:
We are so pleased to welcome you to the CHS family! In just a few weeks, you will graduate middle school and will enter a new chapter in your lives—that wonderful, exciting, confusing, and memorable time called “high school.” We know you are anxious and ready to begin your work at Concord High School, and we want to take this opportunity to welcome you to both the school itself and to the band program here at CHS. The Concord High School Band has a long-standing tradition of music excellence. The band has been awarded hundreds of championship trophies and has earned a reputation as being one of the best high school bands in North Carolina. For decades the band program at Concord has had a tradition of symphonic excellence and has a legacy of thousands of alumni musicians who had their lives changed under the direction of Concord’s directors. Yet even with the competitive success we’ve enjoyed in our brief history, the CHS Band Philosophy is NOT one of competition, but rather a commitment to excellence and innovation. We continue to stress the competition only within ourselves, and we strive to raise the bar of our own expectations and to meet the challenges that WE set for our groups. That is infinitely much more important than trophies and medals—if together we put forth a product we can be proud of and give our students a rewarding, positive experience, then we have truly succeeded. The Band Program at CHS is challenging; that is true. It takes hard work, dedication, and commitment. It requires time and energy outside of school, and it mandates that students maintain a professional work ethic and attitude. And yet, for all the work put in to the program, the rewards are returned tenfold. Students in the band make friends that will last a lifetime. As a member, you will learn leadership skills and personal relationship skills that will help you in whatever you choose to do in your life—be it music, medicine, business, or any other field of employment. And you will learn to make music—to appreciate it, to perform it, and to love it. And when your four short years pass, we know that you will be a better person for being in the band. You will be more mature, more responsible, and you will be a part of a family that is supportive, compassionate, and devoted to each other. You will be amazed at your own personal growth over the course of four years in high school, and you will leave this school a more well-rounded individual than when you arrived. We are so excited you’ve chosen to be a part of this wonderful organization, and we can’t wait for you to join us! On behalf of our administration team, current parents, boosters and students, welcome to Concord!
Sincerely,
Austin Greene Director of Bands |