Viewing entries in
Bailey

Comment

Memorial Day 2020

Taps, performed as a Memorial Day remembrance by two local young men, former members of the Klein Oak HS band. One is Luke Tebo from the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets, the other is John Bailey Needham from VA Tech's Spirit of Tech Marching Virginians.

John P. Needham

Spring, TX

May 25, 2020 730PM

Comment

Mariachi Ole! Texas State Mariachi Festival, February 22, 2019

Comment

Mariachi Ole! Texas State Mariachi Festival, February 22, 2019

This is, really, the beginning of the end of Bailey’s high-school mariachi experience. Yesterday he played in his last state-wide competition with his KOHS mariachi ensemble mates. A year ago Bailey and his bandmates became the first-even mariachi ensemble from the Klein Independent School District to qualify for the Texas State Mariachi Festival. When Bailey and his friends started the ensemble, the did so with it being an entirely student-run organization. They did not have school sponsorship; no band or orchestra director was involved. They started by raising money on their own, to pay for uniforms, to fund mariachi band trips.

When they qualified for state, a generous orchestra director got involved, helped them get to the next level. this little ensemble has come a LONG way since those heady days where it was an entirely student-run ensemble!

Yesterday the ensemble participated in what is Bailey’s find state competition as a member of Klein Oak Mariachi. The ensemble was spectacular. This is their performance.

The Klein Oak Mariachi Band, from Spring, TX, performing their set at the Texas State Mariachi Festival in Edinburg, TX on Feb 22, 2019.

John P. Needham

February 23, 2019 7:20PM

Spring, TX

Comment

Klein Oak Wind Ensemble - Winter Concert

Comment

Klein Oak Wind Ensemble - Winter Concert

Last night the Klein Oak Wind Ensemble performed their annual Winter Convert, along with KOHS Jazz Band, the new KOHS Woodwinds Octet, Klein Oak’s Symphonic I band and local a middle-school’s (Krimmel) band. This is always a super-fun event and last night was no exception. Below are the videos of Wond Ensemble. I also have videos of Jazz Band and Woodwinds Octet, so if any parents want to see those, just let me know and I’ll share them with you.

Wind Ensemble started with Dream of the Silent Night:

KOHS Wind Ensemble, Dreams of the Silent Night, performed December 12, 2018

They continued with The Sussex Mummers Christmas Carol:

KOHS Wind Ensemble, The Sussex Mummers Christmas Carol, performed December 12, 2018

The ensemble closed with their traditional winter concert close: Sleigh Ride. Look for Cody whacking wood planks on this one, it is one of the most important parts of the whole piece, to be honest!

KOHS Wind Ensemble, Sleigh Ride, performed December 12, 2018

John P. Needham

December 13, 2018

Spring, TX

Comment

The 2018 Marching Season

Comment

The 2018 Marching Season

So, yeah. I’ve been pretty much missing around here lately. That’s plainly obvious.

We’ve been busy with the kids, and marching band season. Plus, inertia. Entropy. Okay, laziness.

We’re mostly through the marching season: the Klein Oak Band has played all the football games so far, and there are a few more left before the playoffs, but generally the band does not march for playoff games. They’ve played in one marching contest so fat, and have another one tonight (Area UIL) and another contest Saturday (UIL again, assuming the band qualifies tonight). Then the big one in San Antonio: BOA (Bands of America).

As most know so far from Facebook, Twitter, and IG, we have two sons in Klein Oak Band: one, John Bailey, is a Drum Major, the other, Cody, is on Bass Drum 3. So here are a few images from the season so far.

KOHS Marching Band Drum Majors, 2018
Bailey at band rehearsal
Cody Photo Day
Bailey, too cool for words
Cody, also too cool for waords
Bailey
Cody
Cody at rehearsal
Bailey & Carolyn on Senior Night
Cody during warmups, Senior Night
Cody warmups (October 20, 2018)
Bailey, leading the half-time show, October 20, 2018

Well, I think that catches us up, for now. I’ll try to do better, maintaining this website. No promises, except to promise to try.

John P. Needham

October 23, 2018

Spring, TX

Comment

Mariachi Band - Final 2017/2018 Concert

Mariachi Band - Final 2017/2018 Concert

I am WAY behind in posting this, and I'm genuinely sorry about that! The Klein Oak Mariachi Band had their final concert of the 2017/18 school year back in May. It was really nice, held in the KOHS band hall, the ensemble members, their friends and families, a low-key, super-fun event.

Below are some videos of the show.

These talented and  motivated young musicians had a great year during the 2017/18 school year. Among other things, they were the first mariachi ensemble from from any Klein ISD school to qualify for, and participate in, the Texas State Mariachi Festival

It  would be hard to overstate how proud everyone is of these young musicians. For many of them, this was the final performance, as they have graduated and are moving on to college and other things. Those that remain are back-filling the ensemble and getting ready for another excellent year of mariachi music. We look forward to what the ensemble does in 2018/2018.

John Needham

Spring, TX

(posting from Chicago, IL)

June 26, 2018

Concerto Competition

I can't believe I neglected to post this. Apologies to Bailey for the delay. But...Bailey played in te Klein Oak HS Concerto Competition earlier this month. Below is his performance (a 6:47 video). 

I guess by now it won't surprise anyone to learn: we thought Bailey did great, we're very proud of his growth this year. He really has developed this skill in an amazing way. 

Anyway, here is the video - the hilarious part is when he introduced himself as "John Needham" which is generally how he is known at school, even though we still call him Bailey here at home:

Uploaded by John Needham on 2018-05-05.

John P. Needham

May 23, 2017

Spring, TX

Comment

Klein Oak Wind Ensemble Performs at Festival Hall

The Klein Oak Wind Ensemble performed at the Round Top Festival Institute on Friday, April 27th. What a fabulous facility, that was literally in the middle of nowhere, about an hour and a half west of Houston, TX, in Round Top (population: 90). This band of super-talented young musicians practiced for hours, and played really well.

The ensemble opened with Santa Fe Saga (10:46 video):

Klein Oak Wind Ensemble at the Round Top Festival Institute. April 27, 2018, under the direction of Todd Clearwater.

Then they played Academic Overture (11:07 video):

Klein Oak Wind Ensemble at the Round Top Festival Institute. April 27, 2018, under the direction of Todd Clearwater.

The ensemble closed with North Wind March (2:33 video):

Klein Oak Wind Ensemble at the Round Top Festival Institute. April 27, 2018, under the direction of Todd Clearwater.

All the parents, obviously, are very proud of these talented and dedicated young musicians. 

John P. Needham

Spring, TX

April 29, 2018

Comment

Mariachi Ole!

Comment

Mariachi Ole!

C'mon, you knew this was coming, right? After all the still pictures from this weekend's Texas State Mariachi Festival, you knew there would be some videos of the Klein Oak High School Mariachi Band, right? I didn't take these videos, but another person did, and gave me permission to post them to You Tube. 

KOHS Mariachi Band was the first school from the whole Klein school district to qualify for the state mariachi festival. While a lot of schools were playing new, modern takes on mariachi music, with lots of stagecraft, KOHS Mariachi Band just played traditional mariachi music with little fanfare. It was a really well-received performance, to be sure. Take a look at how the crowd responded. They opened with Guadalajara:

 

Guadalajara, performed by the Klein Oak High School Mariachi Band, February 23, 2018 at the Texas State High School Mariachi Festival in Edinburgh, TX.

The next song they performed was El Rey. This is where the audience really started to respond.

 

El Rey, performed by the Klein Oak High School Mariachi Band, February 23, 2018 at the Texas State High School Mariachi Festival in Edinburgh, TX.

The band closed their set with No Me Se Rajar, which inspired the audience even more.

 

No Me Se Rajar, performed by the Klein Oak High School Mariachi Band, February 23, 2018 at the Texas State High School Mariachi Festival in Edinburgh, TX.

This was a genuinely extraordinary experience for these talented and hard-working young musicians. They walked off the stage with their feet barely touching the ground. 

And we parents were all profoundly proud of these kids.

John P. Needham

February 27, 2018

Spring, TX

Comment

Comment

Marching Season Wrap-Up, 2017

Just a couple of images from the final football game of the 2017 season. With marching season winding down, and contests all in the rear-view mirror, and the final game the day after Thanksgiving in College Station, the number of band kids who showed up to play was pretty small. Bailey and Cody were both there. I got this image of them in the stands, Cody in the foreground on bass drum, Bailey behind him on trumpet.

Cody in front on bass drum, Bailey behind on trumpet

Cody in front on bass drum, Bailey behind on trumpet

Cody had wrapped his drum sticks up in red tape so they looked like candy canes, and he also had our Elf on the Shelf, Bob, mounted on the top of his drum:

Cody on bass drum, accompanied by Bob The Elf.

Cody on bass drum, accompanied by Bob The Elf.

Bob The Elf and Cody's drum sticks

Bob The Elf and Cody's drum sticks

One last picture of Bailey:

Bailey on trumpet

Bailey on trumpet

That's all for now.

John P. Needham

November 28, 2017

Spring, TX

Comment

Comment

Bangarang!

Please allow me this "proud band dad" moment.

Since the beginning of August, Bailey and Cody and the rest of Klein Oak High School's marching band have been practicing, working really hard, on the 2017 competition show. They practiced in heat, they practiced many mornings, may late nights, weekends, after school, at football games, in competitions. 

Cody is on bass-4 bass drum; Bailey plays trumpet.

This weekend, all their hard work paid off. The band participated in Bands of America super-regional competition in San Antonio. It was far and away their best show of the season. 

The competition at the super-regional is very steep; some 75 bands competed in prelims over two days, and only 114 made the finals Saturday night. Klein  Oak Band did not make the finals, unfortunately. But that doesn't not take away from their achievement. This year's show, called Bangarang, was terrific, and the kids performed spectacularly in the prelims.

Another of the band parents was able to record the show, and uploaded it to You Tubs. I am embedding the video below. Take a look at let me know what you think!

 

The show I'm not supposed to record...

We are very proud of our kids and all the band members; other parents I spoke with feel exactly the same way. These kids all worked so hard, for so many hours, over months, and for the show to come together this well, at this competition, was really special to see.

John P. Needham

November 5, 2017

Spring, TX

Comment

Klein Oak Masterworks Concert - May 22, 2017

Earlier this month, the top performers from Klein Oak's band, choir and orchestra performed their annual Masterworks performance. I recorded the whole concert, but many of the pieces are covered by copyright protections so I'm not posting those here (or to You Tube). 

Here are two pieces that I can post. First, the Klein Oak Wind Ensemble opened the concert with this piece, a stunning 14-minute piece that I know these young musicians worked so hard on. This is a 14-minute video and Bailey is performing on trumpet.

Next is the Klein Oak Choir. This is a four-minute+ video.

That's all I'm going to share from this night, since I am pretty sure the next five pieces that were performed, jointly, by the Wind Ensemble, the Choir and the Orchestra, are all covered by copyright protection held by the composer. 

The concert was genuinely amazing, these young performers worked for months to perfect these pieces and they all did a fabulous job.

John P. Needham

May 29, 2017

1:25PM

Spring, TX

Comment

Piano Recital - Bailey, May 2017

This one made Carolyn cry. I unfortunately had to miss it, traveling for business, but Carolyn recorded it for me, and here is the video (six minute video).

John Needham

Spring, TX

May 29, 2017

10:20AM

Comment

Sixteen

Sixteen

Wow. John Bailey Needham turned sixteen yesterday. Naturally, that means it is time to post some new images.

Here he is at sixteen. 

IMG_20170112_064839.jpg

I stiched a few images together to post to FB so here are those now too.

 

And this one...

 

Finally, this last image - Carolyn made her chocolate chip cheesecake with caramel topping. This was at the request of the birthday boy.

 

Bay had a good day. But us, his parents, wow. We could not be more proud of the young man that Bailey has become, and continues to grow into. 

John P. Needham

Spring, TX

January 13, 2017

Region Band Concert - December 10, 2016

Comment

Region Band Concert - December 10, 2016

As many already know from my excessive social media sharing, our 15YO high-school sophomore, Bailey, was awarded a chair in the wind ensemble in the Region 9 (Texas) band. (This was following two rounds of Region Band auditions.)

Last Friday night they had a three hour practice, followed by 8+ hours on Saturday. Aftter just that practice, the band had a concert last Saturday night. I'm not sure I can adequately express how proud we were of Bailey - and of his bandmates here. They learned these five songs in just a few hours of practice, then played a concert at Klein Forest High School. 

The band performed under the direction of Richard Floyd, in his 53rd year of music direction, and who is currently the director of the Austin Symphonic Band.

The first piece they played was This Broad Earth by Steven Bryant (4:47 video):

The 2016 Region Band (Region 9) Wind Ensemble, conducted by Richard Floyd. "This Broad Earth" by Steven Bryant. Performed December 10, 2016 at Klein Forest High School.

Then Mr. Floyd spoke for a few minutes (2:58):

The 2016 Region Band (Region 9) Wind Ensemble, conducted by Richard Floyd. This is comments by the conductor Richard Floyd. Performed December 10, 2016 at Klein Forest High School.

The next piece was Sleep, by Eric Whitacre (4:51):

The 2016 Region Band (Region 9) Wind Ensemble, conducted by Richard Floyd. "Sleep" by Eric Whitacre. Performed December 10, 2016 at Klein Forest High School.

Then the band played Dancing on Water, by Frank Ticheli (8:57). This was a piece Bailey really enjoyed learning and playing.

The 2016 Region Band (Region 9) Wind Ensemble, conducted by Richard Floyd. "Dancing on Water" by Frank Ticheli. Performed December 10, 2016 at Klein Forest High School.

Then the band played a set from Leonard Bernstein (and other composers, 4:27):

The 2016 Region Band (Region 9) Wind Ensemble, conducted by Richard Floyd. "The Bernstein Set" Bernstein/Krance & Bernstein/Sweeney. Performed December 10, 2016 at Klein Forest High School.

They closed with a song called Zing by Scott McAllister (6:06):

The 2016 Region Band (Region 9) Wind Ensemble, conducted by Richard Floyd. "Zing" by Scott McAllister. Performed December 10, 2016 at Klein Forest High School.

John P. Needham

Spring, TX

December 13, 2016

6:06AM

Comment

Comment

Klein Oak Band - Winter Concerts, December 6, 2016

Cody (freshman) is in Concert Band this year. Here is one of the pieces that the Concert Band played at the winter concert. (This is the only piece Cody played in.) Cody on percussion.

Hypnotic Fireflies, performed by Klein Oak Concert Band, December 6, 2016.

Bailey (sophomore) is in Klein Oak's Wind Ensemble. Here is their set from the winter concert. The set includes two songs - A Holiday Rhapsody, and Sleigh Ride - and between the song is the band director Mr. Clearwater's comments, and the student recognition. (Students were recognized for Region Band auditions, for getting a chair in Region Band, and for qualifying for the Area Band auditions.)

Both pieces, A Holiday Rhapsody and Sleigh Ride, along with Mr. Clearwater's comments and the student recognition.

John P. Needham

December 8, 2016

6:20AM

Spring, TX

 

Comment

Comment

Etudes - December 2016

I shared this over the weekend, but for the sake of posterity: Bailey played trumpet in the Texas Region 9 band auditions on Saturday. He advanced. Definitely worth noting that the top-two trumpeters in Region 9 are from the same school as Bailey. We've said all along that the kids here are getting an exceptional education, especially a fine arts education, at Klein Oak. This is further evidence of that. Mr. Clearwater and his team? Really outstanding.

Region Band Audition Results

Region Band Audition Results

For Klein Oak (HS) band, Bailey had to record the three etudes that were used to judge the auditions. Since he had to do that anyway, I figured it would be worth it to preserve them on You Tube. So, below, here are the three etudes, as performed by Bailey. He did great. 

Comment