Donny Longest only thought he was retired.
For the last nine and a half years, he’s enjoyed what could be called semi-retirement, working with the Oklahoma Bandmaster’s Association. Before that, he spent 33 years working with band programs at schools across the state.
And yet, here he sits in the office off the band room at Prague High School, once again teaching band.
Longest said the school lost its band director at Christmas and thought they had someone hired, but that fell through. That’s when they called him.
“I couldn’t stand the thought of a program that once was such a really fine program that’s gone down a lot anyway. I couldn’t stand with all those kids not having a band director this semester. That would just have totally killed the program,” he said.
Prague was once known for its stellar program.They had a director who was at the school for a very long time, but when she retired, things just haven’t been the same, Longest said.
“I think the support is still there in the community. They just got to have something to support,” he said.
He said the administration in the school has been very supportive of the program, and the kids have bought into everything that he’s asked them to do. There was a bit of a learning curve, he admitted, but the students have handled it well. They’ve worked hard and are proud of what they’ve accomplished this semester.
Longest has had a blast teaching. The kids have really come a long way.
Backinthefall,theywent to Regionals for marching band and scored a 3-4-4. However, just a few weeks ago at Districts, the band pulled through with a 1-22 on stage and a 1 in sight reading. In music competitions, a 1 is considered a Superior rating, with a 2 being Excellent.
“One of my band buddies, they were like, ‘Have you ever been more proud of a 2?’I said, ‘Nope.’I was really proud of thatone.The kids were excited. Parents were excited,” he said.
The difference is night and day, almost. Longest said the students’morale is up, and one of the parents commented that it was nice to see the kids walk off stage with smiles on their faces. He believes that the stage has been set for a better season next year.
“I think they can have a lot more success next fall. We’ve kind of laid the groundwork on fundamentals and things this semester musically that can carry with them from here on out,” he said.
And while better contest scores are always good, Longest believes the renewed interest and more positive outlook among the band students have been some of the biggest highlights of this semester.
“I like teaching kids, especially when you see lots of improvement. You see the kids learning and realizing they’re getting better,” he said. “ When they can see what they’re getting accomplished, it makes it all worth it.”
The semester isn’t over yet. Both the high school and junior high bands have the upcoming spring concert that will feature music from “Wicked,” the movie, and “My Girl.” Longest said it’s sure to be a lot of fun and a good concert.