The Blythe-Bower Project

The Lee University Symphonic Band and Blythe Bower Elementary School

In the fall of 2006, the Lee University Symphonic Band and Blythe Bower elementary school began a
cooperative effort to establish a beginning band program for Blythe Bower elementary students. Gloria
Scott-Richmond, nominated five times for teacher of the year in the state of Tennessee (2009 Cleveland
City School District Teacher of the Year), had always hoped to begin a beginning band program at the
school.

Blythe Bower is an excellent school, and it strives to have the best programs for its students;
however, 98% of the students who attend the school are enrolled in the free and reduced lunch
program. Most of the students at the school could not afford instruments or to pay for instruction.

This is where the Lee University Symphonic Band became involved with the Blythe Bower elementary
school and their “Rockin’ Bobcat Band.” In 2006, Mrs. Richmond approached Dr. Mark Bailey, Professor
of Music at Lee University and Conductor of the Lee University Symphonic Band, about the possibility of
the Lee Symphonic Band and its membership helping out with instruction. Lee University had initiated
The Poiema Service Learning Program that began requiring students to participate in service learning
activities.

Since 2006, members of the Lee University Symphonic Band have taught individual and corporate band
lessons to Blythe Bower students at 7:30am on Tuesday and Friday mornings during the school year.
Student leaders of the project, including Pam Klena, Sara Daniels, Josh Taylor, Molly Markel White (all
presently serving as secondary school music educators), Allison Sherwood, and Brandon Hahn (both
present students at Lee University), along with many other band members, have assisted Dr. Bailey in
making sure all the instrumental instruction was covered on those mornings.

A local music store in Cleveland, Tooters, has provided low cost rental instruments for the school. In
2009, a string instruction program was developed by Elizabeth Franks and Sarah Eskola, senior violin
and cello majors, as a mirror project to begin an elementary string orchestra program. Presently, Blythe
Bower is the only public elementary school that offers beginning instrumental music instruction on band
and orchestral instruments in Bradley County.

The program has now grown to have approximately seventy elementary students receiving instrumental
music instruction. In the four years of the program, Mrs. Scott Richmond has tracked the success of
students who began in the instrumental the program at Blythe Bower and their continued study in
instrumental music. She has found that several of her students have gone on to high chair placements
in both the Cleveland Middle School and High School bands.

This cooperative effort is providing instruction for students who would not receive it otherwise and
valuable practice teaching time for our prospective public/private school music teachers.