By Semaj Jordan and Mason Scioneaux
When Wesley Brown was in the fifth grade, the Lafayette County High School marching band came to his school to play a recruitment concert. Inspired by it, he decided to give music a try.
“Honestly, I thought it would just be a hobby,” he said. “I thought it was something fun to do, because I enjoyed watching my high school band march on the field, and when I came to Ole Miss games, the Pride of the South.”
Now a senior who will graduate with a degree in music education, Brown will pursue graduate school at Ole Miss in hopes of one day being a band director in Mississippi.
His music career began in sixth grade and he played throughout high school, successfully auditioning for the role of drum major in his senior year. He then decided to choose a university where he could chase his dream of being a band director.
“If you want to go somewhere to learn to be a band director, this is the place,” Brown said.
When he began his time at Ole Miss, he formed his relationship with Professor Micah Everett, who served as Brown’s tutor in private lessons. Six semesters of these lessons from faculty are a required part of the curriculum for music majors. Everett recalled overcoming early challenges with Brown.
“Wes is a very dedicated student. The only frustrations were when he didn’t get something easily and I had to devise new ways of explaining, demonstrating, and instructing him to practice. I never doubted that he would follow all of my instructions completely. Few students are as cordial, responsive, and eager to do the right thing as Wes,” he said.
It was during these private lessons that Brown found his favorite piece of music to play, called “The Acrobat,” by J.A. Greenwood. He worked on it for an entire semester in preparation to play it for his final exam in front of a panel of faculty judges.
“I got to where I enjoyed playing it just as much as learning what it had to provide,” he said.
Brown’s primary instrument is the trombone, and he plays a used Yamaha Allegro, which he has had since the ninth grade of high school.
“It’s definitely seen its fair share of love,” he said.
He uses music in every aspect of his life, even stress relief, by playing the ukulele in his spare time.
“I just strum. I’m not looking to perform anything, but I really love the sound of it,” he said. “If it’s been a long day, and I need to decompress, I’ll just make stuff up on it. It doesn’t sound pretty, but I like it.”
Brown is currently student-teaching percussion, brass, and woodwinds at Senatobia High School, and he said that learning to teach music to high schoolers is like learning any other process in music.
“I’m a big hands-on learner, so you can explain it to me, but I won’t understand until I do it,” he said. “The directors there are more than willing to let us get our hands dirty by learning as we teach them.”
He said that in his student-teaching, he gets great satisfaction in seeing his students finally grasp things that they have struggled with.
“I call it the lightbulb moments. When we’re trying to work a new concept, and then you see the ‘Ohh,’ — that part’s a lot of fun,” he said. “The most rewarding part is to watch that growth happen.”
Brown teaches his students the mindset they must purvey in order to be successful in band.
“Band in and of itself is a mini society,” he said. “We have to show them how to work together and that no one person is greater than the other. If you want to be a part of this, you have to follow our procedure. Everyone has to fulfill a role for the benefit of others.”
Ole Miss Band Director David Willson spoke highly of the ways in which Brown’s leadership has shown itself in the Pride of the South.
“He is a leader by example,” he said. “Not a point your finger and tell folks or even judge folks kind of leader. Just do the job so well that others will be influenced positively by his actions, either behavior or performance.”
Everett is confident that Brown’s learning style will translate well to the teaching role that comes with being a band director.
“The fact that he has a dedicated and systematic fashion set about overcoming his challenges leads me to think he will successfully bring that same systematic approach to the classroom,” he said.