St. John's Elementary School showcases it's first ever winter concert with over 60 Students.
On Wednesday, December 18th, 60 students from St. John's Elementary School showcased their musical talents in front of more than 400 people. The student's performed on instruments such as the Flute, Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone and Percussion. The idea of having a band at St. John's was presented by their Director, Mr. Johnus Greenlee.
Mr. Greenlee is a graduate of Bethune-Cookman University and currently teaches Music, Chorus and now Band at St. John's Elementary. Mr. Greenlee was asked about his journey in organizing such a great group, his response was "It takes a lot of work to teach middle school students how to play an instrument, so you can imagine what it would take to teach a band full of elementary students. I'm a firm believer that band is for everyone, no matter your size or age."
Mr. Brendan Johnson, Director of Bands at Darlington High School says "This is something remarkable that Mr. Greenlee has started. The band programs in Darlington are in the process of building a quality program where we cannot only compete with other programs on the state level, but on the national level. We also utilize music here in Darlington to cultivate and motivate the students as well as keep them active. This prevents students from making the wrong choices and implements discipline. Normally students don't begin band until they're in middle school, but now it seems that we have a head start, and thats great for the future of bands here in the city of Darlington."