Band is Family: Building Community through Music

By: Josie Evans, SRCS Advancement Communications Coordinator

At Strong Rock Christian School, students who join the band program discover that music is about much more than just learning to play an instrument.

“Music is great, and it’s great making music, but it’s about the relationships. It’s about the collaboration. It’s about making friends, making memories, and making connections,” said Stan Kramer, Strong Rock’s Director of Bands.

Kramer knows firsthand the power of those connections. Today, he works alongside Ed Davis, the school’s Beginning Band Director, and Kreg Biffle, the Academy Band Director—three musicians whose lives have been intertwined through music for decades.

“It was a long time ago that Ed Davis was my beginning band director. And Kreg Biffle taught my children in middle school. I taught Mr. Davis’ daughter in high school. And Mr. Biffle’s dad was my junior high band director,” Kramer shared.

Davis agrees that band is as much about people as it is about music. “It develops not only musical abilities, but also the ability to work with others. The reason they call it a band is because it’s a collection of people—a band of people,” he explained.

At the center of Strong Rock’s program is concert band, where students learn the fundamentals and techniques of playing their instruments. Concert Band is required for all fifth-graders and offered as an elective from sixth through twelfth grade. From there, students can branch out into a variety of after-school ensembles, including pep and marching band, jazz band, and pit orchestra for school musicals.

Biffle noted that learning an instrument is a lifelong gift: “When kids learn to do it, it’s something they can literally do for the rest of their lives. It’s not something they just do in school and then put away.”

For Kramer, music has been one of the most consistent relationships in his life—second only to family. He says that’s why he and his fellow instructors are so passionate about sharing music with the next generation.

“I think more importantly, in this day and time, especially where everything is ‘me’ or ‘I’ and so individually oriented, band gives students a sense of community. It gives them an opportunity to be part of a group—part of something bigger than themselves,” said Kramer.

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