Band Director Commissions School Song Inspired by Formula 1 Racing
Michimich.com/10193107

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The band plays in unison as it marks its way through a staccato, ascending theme while their director guides them down a path, all the while envisioning the pinnacle of auto racing: Formula 1. The song is for Cross Creek Charter Academy, a school managed by National Heritage Academies (NHA) in Grand Rapids, Mich.

The piece titled "F-1" may not move as fast as the race cars, but the feel of the music portrays the sense of anticipation when played by the Cross Creek Charter Academy symphonic band, directed by David Steketee.

Commissioned by Steketee for the school's 25^th anniversary, the song begins with the entire band building anticipation for the coming percussion breaks. Trumpets and woodwinds then pair for climbing runs, preparing for the song's melody. It's a noble and celebratory piece of music that promotes feelings of pride and security -- themes held strongly by the school.

More on Michimich.com

• Powering the Next Frontier of the $1 Trillion Space Economy: Ascent Solar Technologies (N A S D A Q: ASTI)
• Taikan's T-V856S VMC Earns Prestigious 2025 Vogel Global Pioneer Award
• Xitron Announces Winner of K2 Workflow Giveaway at PRINTING United Expo
• Flick Truck Accident Law Joins the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance to Strengthen Truck Safety Advocacy
• PebblePad Announces Global Partnership with Inside Higher Ed and Times Higher Education

Click HERE to watch the band play their school song.



"It's the 25^th anniversary, so I wanted to do something that's unique," Steketee said. "Commissions are done a lot but they're expensive, so it's not done often by any one school, so this is our one and only for a while."

Composer Randall Standridge was hired to write the piece to fit the instrumentation and ability levels of the seventh/eighth grade symphonic band. The band debuted the piece during a performance in May. The $3,000 cost for the composition was quickly covered with a fundraising effort by school supporters.

"I was excited, our whole administration was excited, the Cross Creek family was excited, it was great," Steketee said.

Band students experienced challenges during COVID-19, not being able to play as freely due to most instruments requiring breath to make sounds. Steketee said the song provides a lot of room for his students to play together, which helps with their comfort levels.

More on Michimich.com

• Passion Struck Network Debuts: A Creator-First Platform for Purpose-Driven Podcasting and Human Impact
• The Aligned Woman Is It Well With Your Soul
• Jonathan Malveaux Named Newest Member of Forbes Business Council
• NFL Midseason 2025: Who's for Real and Who's Faking It?
• Silver Ball, Golden Heart: Dallas-Area Pinball Wizards Flip for Charity at Side Quest Arcade

"Anytime where they're playing by themselves, the kids don't like it so much," he said. "COVID has really brought our ability level down, so when the music is fast and full instrumentation, it's much better for their confidence."

Being able to direct students through the song proved to be a joy for Steketee and being part of something that will live on into Cross Creek's future adds to the director's sense of pride.

"I just wanted to do something cool and having our name on the masthead of that piece is pretty rad," he said. "It'll be there forever."

Cross Creek Charter Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Byron Center, Mich. serving students in Young 5s through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies network, which includes 98 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 67,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.

SOURCE National Heritage Academies

---

Show All News | Report Violation