I WAS A MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN FOR HIGH SCHOOL MARCHING BAND
IN HIGH SCHOOL.
HALF WAY THROUGH MY JUNIOR YEAR, OUR
BAND DIRECTOR, MR. FADLEY, MOVED TO OREGON.
OUR NEW TEACHER, MR. KING, WAS HORRIBLE!!!
I HAD BAND 0 PERIOD...MEANING THE CLASS
STARTED AT 7:30 AM, BEFORE THE REGULAR
SCHOOL DAY BEGAN.
KIDS STARTED DROPPING OUT.
WE WERE DOWN TO 16 KIDS!
MY PARENTS WOULDN'T LET ME DROP OUT.
WE WERE SENT EVERY MORNING TO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE.
ALL OF US!!!
MR. BRADY, OUR PRINCIPAL, HAD SOMETHING
READY FOR US TO DO TO HELP IN THE OFFICE.
IN MAY, I WAS CALLED TO THE OFFICE.
I, ALONG WITH 3 OR 4 OTHERS, MET THE
NEW BAND DIRECTOR, MR. CHESSLEY.
(HIS BROTHER WROTE THE BOOK,
SEVEN YEARS IN HANOI)
WE HAD OUR PICTURE TAKEN WITH HIM FOR THE LOCAL PAPER.
(HIS BROTHER WROTE THE BOOK,
SEVEN YEARS IN HANOI)
WE HAD OUR PICTURE TAKEN WITH HIM FOR THE LOCAL PAPER.
MR. KING WOULD NOT BE GIVEN A CONTRACT.
WE LOVED MR. CHESSLEY!
HE WAS AWESOME!!!
ON CHRISTMAS DAY, MY SENIOR YEAR, WE LEFT
FOR TEMPE ARIZONA...TO PERFORM AT
HALFTIME OF THE FIESTA BOWL!
IN MAY, MR. CHESSLEY TOLD US HE
WOULD NOT BE RETURNING.
HE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO "GO HOME"
TO HIS HOMETOWN...BURLEY, IDAHO, TO BECOME
AN ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL.
MY SENIOR CLASSMATES AND I
PETITIONED THE SCHOOL BOARD TO
HAVE DON PETERSON, OUR STUDENT TEACHER,
BECOME THE NEW BAND TEACHER.
SCORE!!!
HE STARTED THE BAND'S AWESOMENESS
IN COMPETITIONS!!!
LATER, HE LEFT TO DIRECT THE
BYU MARCHING BAND!
MR. MILLER, MR. PETERSON'S REPLACEMENT,
IS AN ICONIC LEGEND!!!
IS AN ICONIC LEGEND!!!
THE BAND HAS BEEN STATE CHAMPIONS
FOR OVER A QUARTER OF A CENTURY!!!
HE BROUGHT AMERICAN FORK NOT ONLY STATE RECOGNITION,
BUT NATIONAL RECOGNITION! AND THE BAND
IS NOT EVEN A SPORTS TEAM!!!
HE BROUGHT AMERICAN FORK NOT ONLY STATE RECOGNITION,
BUT NATIONAL RECOGNITION! AND THE BAND
IS NOT EVEN A SPORTS TEAM!!!
THEY WERE THE BAND AT THE
1997 ANNOUNCEMENT THAT SLC WOULD
HOST THE 2002 OLYMPICS
TOURNAMENT OF ROSES PARADE...THREE TIMES
(I WENT 2012)
GEORGE W. BUSH
PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURAL PARADE
MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE...TWICE
BANDS OF AMERICA NATIONAL COMPETITION
BANDS OF AMERICA NATIONAL COMPETITION
AND OF COURSE, COMPETITIONS AROUND THE STATE EVERY FALL.
THE COOLEST THING ABOUT THE STATE COMPETITION
IN ST. GEORGE THIS YEAR, WAS HOW WELL
ALL THE BANDS FROM THE ALPINE SCHOOL DISTRICT DID!
STATE CHAMPIONS THIS YEAR WERE:
(THERE WERE NO BANDS FROM OUR DISTRICT COMPETING IN 1-A.)
2-A PLEASANT GROVE
3-A LONE PEAK
4-A LEHI
5-A AMERICAN FORK
AMERICAN FORK WON ALL CAPTIONS.
MOUNTAIN CREST HIGH TOOK 2ND PLACE IN 3-A,
BEHIND LONE PEAK.
MY FORMER STUDENT, EVA NEVES ROBB, IS
THE COLOR GUARD ADVISOR FOR THEM, AS WELL
AS UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY.
HER SCHOOL WON THE COLOR GUARD CAPTION...COMPETING AGAINST
HER SISTER IN THE LONE PEAK COLOR GUARD!
ALTHOUGH WESTLAKE HIGH DIDN'T PLACE IN
THE STATE 5-A COMPETITION, THEY QUALIFIED
FOR THE REGIONAL COMPETITION, AND PLACED 7TH.
THE COOLEST THING ABOUT THE STATE COMPETITION
IN ST. GEORGE THIS YEAR, WAS HOW WELL
ALL THE BANDS FROM THE ALPINE SCHOOL DISTRICT DID!
STATE CHAMPIONS THIS YEAR WERE:
(THERE WERE NO BANDS FROM OUR DISTRICT COMPETING IN 1-A.)
2-A PLEASANT GROVE
3-A LONE PEAK
4-A LEHI
5-A AMERICAN FORK
AMERICAN FORK WON ALL CAPTIONS.
MOUNTAIN CREST HIGH TOOK 2ND PLACE IN 3-A,
BEHIND LONE PEAK.
MY FORMER STUDENT, EVA NEVES ROBB, IS
THE COLOR GUARD ADVISOR FOR THEM, AS WELL
AS UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY.
HER SCHOOL WON THE COLOR GUARD CAPTION...COMPETING AGAINST
HER SISTER IN THE LONE PEAK COLOR GUARD!
ALTHOUGH WESTLAKE HIGH DIDN'T PLACE IN
THE STATE 5-A COMPETITION, THEY QUALIFIED
FOR THE REGIONAL COMPETITION, AND PLACED 7TH.
John Miller to retire after 30 years of successfully leading AF band to victory
Photos
For a "hip dude with longish hair" who played in a rock 'n' roll band and started out teaching choir in a junior high school in Pocatello 40 years ago, he's become a marching band legend, leading the band to state, regional and national places in contests and events that put American Fork on the musical map.
"I ran into a guy in Florida who had heard of the American Fork band," Miller said. "We're well-known."
The band has marched in the Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena, California, several times, was invited twice — an unusual honor — to march in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City and played for the inauguration of President George W. Bush.
The band made it to the semifinals in the Grand Nationals in Indiana, a competition to which Miller was honored to have even been invited.
The band has consistently swept the caption awards for best percussion, best visual performance, best musicality and best color guard at field show competitions where it competed and won against other 5A marching bands, year after year.
With more than 200 members on the field every year, the band impressed judges and audiences alike. One audience member in the stadium to cheer another team on, said, "All they have to do is come on the field and they've won it."
At several competitions this season, Miller was lauded and honored for his three decades of direction.
"(The retirement event at) Davis (Cup Invitational) surprised me." Miller said. "That was unexpected as they have traditionally been one of our biggest competitors. They gave me a fishing pole!"
At the Red Rocks state competition, Miller's wife was honored with him for her unwavering support.
At both the state competition and the Bands of America regional competition in St. George this year, the crowds gave Miller standing ovations.
Miller reiterates that the credit for the band's record of success goes to those who march on the field, practicing long hours in the heat and the cold, and those who support them financially, physically and emotionally for parades, field show competitions and with music lessons.
Miller said if there's a secret to coming away with the first-place trophies year after year, it's in convincing the kids they matter.
"Music, and particularly music in marching band, trains kids and prepares them for life," he said. "They learn to work as a team. They learn incredible leadership skills. They learn to work hard, to be competitors."
They also learn humility, Miller said, as he has taught his band members to be gracious, to help others, to be friendly and courteous as they compete, win or lose.
Miller is already assembling people to help him choose the next director, looking at people all across the nation, at men and women.
He wants to be sure the legacy and the opportunities live on.
Meanwhile, he plans to keep himself involved in music, perhaps joining the band dads who bring on the percussion instruments and props for field shows or assisting in setting up judging panels. He'll fish a little, travel and offer his expertise to those who ask him for advice.
Peterson said the next director is going to have to care about the students, but ultimately should be allowed to create his own program.
"It's someone else's turn now," Peterson said.
"The new director has to be someone who loves the kids, someone who'll come here and serve the kids, the kind who comes and fires up the kids. It's all about the kids," Miller reiterated.
Miller said a successful program attracts parental, administrative and community support which leads to more success.
"People want to be part of something that works," he said, briefly pausing to nod at the tables and shelves full of shiny, new trophies outside his office. "Look at what the kids did just this year!"
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