By Robert Medley
Managing Editor
On his planning period this week, music teacher Russell Harris made a confession.
His heart is in music and teaching music. But it wasn’t really in business.
And he is now working at what he loves full-time again in Okarche.
Harris left teaching for four years when he went to work for Express Employment Professionals in Oklahoma City as a business consultant.
He had previously taught music at McLoud Schools in sixth through 12th grades for concert and marching band students. He also taught music theater. A Midwest City native, he is a 2014 Oklahoma City University graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education.
Okarche had not had a band in about 30 years when a new plan was set into place to bring back a full high school band. So three years ago, band was restarted in the district for fifth and sixth graders under Ryan Seibert.
During this same time period, Harris was learning his heart was not in a business career. He missed music and teaching.
This fall, Harris has been hired to continue the work toward a high school band. Band teacher Ryan Seibert left the Okarche district to teach in Newcastle.
Over the decades, there have been bands in Okarche. There is a photograph on the wall in the elementary school band room showing what appears to be a community band from 1914.
Harris is leading the junior high band this fall that will perform at junior and high school sports and other events this year, including basketball games. The plan is to have a full high school band in full swing within four years.
“We’re building on that here in the next four years we will have a full high school band that will include marching, concert and pep band,” Harris said.
This year he is focusing on having a pep band.
Fifth and sixth grade a beginning band class started three years ago. The students had been in a few Christmas shows and other events.
Currently, the seventh and eighth band has about 18 students and the sixth grade has 25 students while fifth grade has 22 students learning to play. There are brass, woodwind and percussion instruments being studied.
The fifth graders are learning how to read music and about the instruments they want to play.
Harris couldn’t be happier.
“I’m loving it. I definitely feel like I’m in the right place right now. The people here have been very warm and welcoming, and they are very excited about band. They want the students to be successful and the students are excited for band. I think it is a good place to build a program,” Harris said.
Harris has experience playing all of the instruments.
His primary instrument is the French horn and percussion. At OCU, he played in the OCU Wind Philharmonic and the OCU Symphony Orchestra. He performed with the school’s jazz band and he was in a brass quintet.
Youth has been inspiring to him, he said.
“Being around the kids and the younger kids, they have so much life and joy in them it is just awesome,” Harris said.
The school district also has another new music teacher this year, Stephanie Palmer has joined the staff in the elementary school and is assisting with the band program.
