The Collierville High School Band will be hosting its annual Winter Camp at Collierville High School on Friday, January 31, and Saturday, February 1, 2020. The purpose of the 2020 Winter Camp is to give all students participating in CHS concert bands the opportunity to work under the baton of world-class guest clinicians and have an "honor band" experience right here at home. In addition to working with our guest clinicians, students will also work in smaller sectional groups with specialists on each instrument from the West Tennessee region. Winter Camp is a key component in the musical growth and development of students in the CHS band program. This year's Winter Camp will help prepare the students for the 2020 WTSBOA Concert Festival. Students will showcase what they have learned in a pre-Festival concert to be held on Thursday, February 27, at 6:30 PM in the Pickler Auditorium. Each of the three concert bands at CHS will be attending this year's Concert Festival, to be held at West Collierville Middle School March 10 - 13. At the Festival, concert bands throughout the West Tennessee region will perform and be judged by a panel of clinicians. The Festival concerts are open to the public and there is no cost for admission. Guest clinicians![]() Christopher Morehouse is Director of Bands and Professor of Music at Southern Illinois University, where he serves as conductor of the SIU Wind Ensemble, teaches undergraduate and graduate conducting, wind literature, and instrumental methods, and administers the entire SIU Bands program. He is also the Acting Director of Graduate Studies in the School of Music. He made his Carnegie Hall debut with the SIU Wind Ensemble at the New York Band and Orchestra Festival in March 2008 and toured the People's Republic of China with the SIU Wind Ensemble and Concert Choir in May 2009. In spring 2011, the SIU Wind Ensemble hosted percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie for a four-day residency, culminating in a concert of Sean Beeson's Prometheus Rapture: Seven Legends for Snare Drum (world premiere wind version) and Joseph Schwantner's Percussion Concerto, and gave a concert, with the SIU Concert Choir, at Orchestra Hall in Chicago, home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In May 2012 and May 2016, members of the SIU Wind Ensemble and Concert Choir spent three weeks in Dublin, Ireland, in residence at the Gaiety School of Acting: The National Theater School of Ireland, developing and performing an original theater concert project. Prior to joining the faculty at Southern Illinois University, Morehouse taught at the elementary, middle, and high school levels in New York and Massachusetts for seven years. He has served as the conductor of the University of Dayton (Ohio) Symphonic Wind Ensemble, conductor and music director of the Cincinnati Youth Wind Ensemble, assistant conductor for the Concord (Massachusetts) Band, guest conductor of the Metropolitan Wind Symphony, and commissioned works project chairperson on the executive board of the Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors Association. In addition to Carnegie Hall, his ensembles have been chosen to perform at the Illinois Music Education Conference (SIU Wind Ensemble) and the Massachusetts Music Educators Association All-State Conference (Belmont High School ensembles). Morehouse is published in nine volumes of the Teaching Music through Performance in Band series, an encyclopedia of band literature published by GIA Publications, and contributed clinic reviews for the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles International Conferences held in Killarney, Ireland and Cincinnati, Ohio. He maintains an active schedule as guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator in the United States, Canada, and Europe and is currently a member of the College Band Directors National Association, the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, the National Band Association, the National Association for Music Education, and the Illinois Music Education Association. Morehouse received his Bachelor of Music degree in music education from Ithaca College, Master of Music degree in wind ensemble conducting from the New England Conservatory of Music, as a student of Frank Battisti, and Doctor of Musical Arts degree in conducting, wind emphasis, from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, as a student of Rodney Winther. He joined the School of Music faculty at Southern Illinois University in August 2005. ![]() Benjamin J. Diden is the assistant director of bands at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He serves as the conductor of the symphonic band and assistant director of athletic bands. His duties also include music theory and applied clarinet instruction. He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Wind Conducting at the University of South Carolina. Diden received the Bachelor of Music in Music Education degree and the Master of Music in Instrumental Conducting degree from the University of Tennessee. He has served as a graduate assistant for the Pride of the Southland Marching Band at UT and the Mighty Sound of the Southeast Marching Band at USC, where he worked extensively with the entire band program of each university. He taught for several years in the public schools of Tennessee, most recently at Cumberland County High School in Crossville, Tennessee. Diden is a member of MENC, the College Band Directors National Association, and the National Band Association. He is also an honorary member of Tau Beta Sigma and Kappa Kappa Psi. ![]() Mr. Christopher Tate is the current band director at Southaven Middle school in Southaven, MS. Mr. Tate was the former Director of Bands and Mentoring Supervisor for the Forrest City School District in Forrest City, AR, a position he held for 25 years. Before coming to Forrest City, he held similar positions in Clarksville, TX, Dumas, AR, and Leland, MS. He also served as Coordinator of Band Activities at Delta State University. Mr. Tate received both his Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Music Education from Delta State University in Cleveland, MS where he studied conducting with William D. Clark. He serves as an adjudicator and clinician throughout the Southeast. Chris is an active member of Phi Beta Mu, American School Band Directors Association, Arkansas School Band and Orchestra Association, and the Arkansas Bandmasters Association.
Collierville High School Band will host the U.S.Army Field Band & Soldiers' Chorus on November 6th at 7:00pm
Don’t wait until the first game to cheer on your Collierville High School Dragons! Collierville High’s football team will be hosting their annual Dragon Night, Saturday August 3 at 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the new Lander’s Sportsplex. This event will have performances from multiple school groups, concessions and fun for all ages. More from Tour Collierville Magazine...
![]() The Collierville High School Band is happy to announce the hiring of Jake Cosby at it’s Color Guard Director. Mr. Cosby grew up in Batesville, Mississippi, where he joined the band world by participating in high school as a trumpet player. He later took a shot with his school’s winter program and flourished as a color guard member. Throughout high school he continued to participate with the winter group and playing his instrument during the fall. After graduating, Jake attended Itawamba Community College in Fulton, Mississippi. It was there that he joined Magnolia Independent Winter Guard where he marched for three years. While he attended ICC he worked with Itawamba High School Band, where he explored his love for teaching. With the guidance of the director at Itawamba, he worked towards gaining skills in both writing choreography and cleaning technique. Eventually he would help produce and design their winter programs which is where he has found that his heart truly lies with teaching. Jake participated with the Open Class Drum Corps: Music City. After his stent with Music City, he went on to the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps, where his passion for the activity only grew and he made many connections that would help shape where he is today. He would then rejoin Music City’s color guard staff as an intern learning more about teaching and crafting his style. After drum corps, he participated with the Paramount Winter Guard where he marched with the “A” Class Guard in 2016, which won a WGI “A’ Class Championship that year. Then he continued as a member of the Paramount Open Class Guard in 2017. During his second year with Paramount he began working as a tech with Oxford High School, where he has been for the past 3 years. At Oxford, Jake’s love and passion for the activity was truly able to grow. Here his groups participated in WGI regionals, as well as traveling to Dayton, Ohio for world championships in his second year. In 2017 Jake decided to create an Independent Winter guard for the North Mississippi/Memphis area. Jake is a founder and the director of Colibri independent winter guard. For two years the Colibri Winter guard has been an MIA class “A” Champions for both years of their existence. The group has also competed in several WGI regionals. Jake looks forward to moving to Tennessee and begin his work with Collierville High School Band. He hopes to continue working with Colibri and collaborate his efforts with the Collierville program. It is his hope to find a home here at Collierville and be with the group for years to come! NINE CHS Band Students selected to participate in Tennessee All-STATE BAnD & ORCHESTRA ensembles4/25/2019
Please click here to read article in The Collierville Herald.
The CHS Band was honored to host the US Navy Band in Concert on Friday, March 15th. News coverage by Local Memphis News ABC 24
The Collierville High School Band will be hosting their annual Winter Camp at Collierville High School on Friday, February 1st and Saturday, February 2nd 2019. The purpose of this camp is to invite the country’s finest musicians and clinicians to share their insight, talent and musicianship with the students in the concert band program. This gives students an authentic “honor band” experience in a familiar environment at their own school. Students will be working outside the concert rehearsals in smaller sectional groups based on their instrument with specialists on each instrument from the West Tennessee region. This winter camp supports the band director’s vision of nurturing the musical growth and development of students in the CHS band program. This experience will serve as a springboard into the Pre-Festival Concert, which will take place at 6:30pm on February 21st in Pickler Auditorium. Each of the three concert bands will be attending Concert Festival on March 7th and March 8th at West Collierville Middle School. This is a four day event where concert bands throughout the West Tennessee region perform and are judged by a panel of clinicians. These concerts are free and open to the public. The knowledge and experiences gained by students at this winter camp will be carried with them through the rest of their musical career, and is an important opportunity to learn from some of the best music educators this country has to offer. We look forward to an exciting weekend of learning and music-making! “To become the best, you must surround yourself with the best.” -Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser ![]() J. Steven Moore is the Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies and Director of the Symphonic Winds at the FROST SCHOOL OF MUSIC at the University of Miami. Steven is a strong advocate for music literacy and has developed nationally recognized programs of excellence at the secondary and collegiate level. He has served as Chair of the Department of Music at the University of Central Missouri, Director of Bands at Colorado State University, Lafayette High School and Jessie Clark Middle School in Lexington, Kentucky, and Assistant Director of Bands at the University of Kentucky. Additionally, he has served as the interim Director of Orchestras at UK, Conductor for the Central Kentucky Youth Orchestras, and Conductor for the CSU Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Moore is a member of the American Bandmasters Association. Under his direction, the Lafayette Band performed at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, received the Sudler Shield, appeared in the Macy's Parade, and was awarded 6 State Marching Band Championships and 5 Grand Championships at the MTSU Contest of Champions in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The Department of Education selected him as the Kentucky High School Teacher of the Year. Dr. Moore has a B.M.E. from the University of South Carolina and M.M. and D.M.A. in instrumental conducting from the University of Kentucky. The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) published his book, Play It From the Heart: What you learn from music about success in life. www.PlayItFromtheHeart.com. Steven is married to Kimberly Sena Moore, and together they have a son, Jameson, and daughter, Lorian. ![]() Scott Bersaglia is Founder and Music Director of the Sacred Winds Ensemble and Founder and Chairman of Sacred Winds Ministries. He is also Director of Bands for Pikeville Independent Schools where he oversees and directs the district’s instrumental music curriculum. Prior conducting positions include Associate Professor of Conducting at Campbellsville University, Orchestra Conductor of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Orchestra, and Assistant Director of Bands at the University of Michigan. A Kentucky native, Dr. Bersaglia received his Bachelors of Music Education from Morehead State University and the Masters of Music and Doctor of Music Arts degrees from The University of Texas at Austin. His conducting teachers include Jerry Junkin, Richard Miles, and Greg Detweiler. Dr. Bersaglia lives in Prestonsburg with his wife, Jennifer, and their daughters, Isabella Matea and Emmaline Grace. |