PHOTO CREDIT: LOUIS DENNIN
BY LOUIS DENNIN
After Cooper City High School’s beloved band director Christopher Schletter decided to move on to pursue a higher education in music, there was no doubt that he would be hard to replace. He left a legacy that will be forever remembered by all of his former students, one of hard work, team spirit and great music. His shoes are very large ones to fill, but that didn’t stop new band director Chandler Wilson from taking on the challenge.
While he may be new to CCHS, Wilson is no stranger to leading an ensemble. His love for the performing arts is incredibly hard to match, and from this love, he has drawn up quite a musical career. This will be Wilson’s seventh year teaching, having previously been the band director of Hollywood Hills High School. He currently holds a masters degree in conducting from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a testament to his prowess in the field of music. There is no question that he is beyond qualified to uphold the Sound of Pride’s high standards, but Wilson’s devotion to the world of music compels him to lift these standards even higher.
“He’s bringing a fresh perspective to a program that has been comfortable for the past couple years,” drum major Marla Manes said. “He’s really revamping the program, and the students appreciate his energy.”
Wilson’s career has simple roots. His interest in the field was sparked by his father, who was the music minister of his church. Therefore, young Wilson often saw his father playing the piano, and inevitably began playing it himself. Before long, he was hooked for life.
He later learned to play the saxophone, which has been his main musical companion ever since. His sax-playing eventually impressed many musical great musicians, putting his talents in the spotlight. While he feels compelled to join the ranks of such musicians, his pursuits lie with spreading the art form he fell in love with to the younger generation.
“My director at FAMU asked me why I wasn’t a music major,” Wilson said. “I told him that I didn’t want to teach, but he convinced me, and then I just kind of got caught up in it.”
Since then, Wilson has been playing, writing and conducting his way through a plethora of achievements. He became the director of the Hollywood Hills High School band, where he ambitiously guided the ensemble to an all new level of musical triumph. His work at Hollywood Hills eventually earned him the Tom Bishop award, an honor given to one director in the whole county who is able to make the most significant impact on a band program in a single year. Other notable accomplishments of his include being the assistant conductor of the Voyagers European Music Tour and Broward Symphonic Band, as well as having compositions of his own performed by the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, Florida All State and by the Bands of America. To list every ensemble he has led and every musical milestone he has crossed would be an endless task.
Wilson has eagerly been employing what he has learned in his musical life after taking charge of the Sound of Pride in June. He and the band have worked all summer together, preparing tirelessly for the upcoming marching season and forging a crucial bond between each other. Band is an activity that is extremely dependent on teamwork, so the level of trust and comradery between those involved can make or break the ensemble. Knowing this, Wilson has made it very clear that he plans to see the band reach even greater heights and every day will bring new opportunities for the Sound of Pride. His immediate dedication and upbeat personality quickly made him very popular among his students.
“He has opened up the student’s eyes [to the fact] that there are other approaches and other styles out there,” Band parent Elise Wengier said. “There’s more than one way to approach music.”
The Sound of Pride is now working towards the new goals set in place by Wilson. As always, increasing recruitment is on the agenda, but Wilson has bold new ideas for everyone who signs up. Noticing that school spirit seemed to be lacking, Wilson has updated the list of songs for the marching band to play at football games and has taken the band to away games, something seldom done before. He hopes that these changes will start a new era of cowboy pride one game, pep rally and concert at a time.
He also hopes to see CCHS’s band recognized at a national level, though this will take a lot of time to achieve. He has done it before, however. When in charge of the Hollywood Hills Band, the students were chosen to partake in Chicago’s Thanksgiving Day parade. He wants nothing less for his new band, and with Pioneer Middle as a strong feeder school, he is confident that a few years of hard work will make this dream a reality. Despite his many musical goals to fulfill, Wilson wishes to see his students graduate with valuable life lessons; for them to be not only better musicians but also better people at the end of the day.
“The goal is [for the students] to broaden their horizons musically, culturally and personally,” Wilson said.
The band will continue to work towards making every performance a special memory, whether it be marching band, concert band or otherwise. Schletter’s legacy of greatness will live on in the hearts of his former students, but the band is confident that their new director will be able to continue that legacy. Whatever adventures await the Sound of Pride, the students and their new director plan to tackle it together.
“The purpose of band is creating memories and building character through teamwork,” Wilson said. “Band, along with ROTC, sports, etc, is one of the few times where you, as a student, have to work with and lead other people, and that is something you’ll have to do in real life, too.”
