Lakeview Middle Band Director Alex Helms Receives Young Band Director Award
Alex Helms, band director at Lakeview Middle School, has been selected the recipient of the Phi Beta Mu Theta Chapter Conn-Selmer Institute Young Band Director Award. He will represent South Carolina at the Conn-Selmer Summer Institute in June. The Conn-Selmer Institute is a national professional development clinic that features top-name band directors from around the country and the world.
Helms is in his third year as Lakeview’s band director. He said his number one priority when he joined the staff was to get more students excited about band and creating a positive culture. “We’ve gone from 70 students to more than 100 in the band program,” he commented. “I want the students to want to be here. They are working together in groups and are creating a positive culture and environment. They are invested and ready to work hard.”
Helms added, “One of the most important lessons in band is attention to detail. The work ethic involved in creating music requires students to exert their best efforts. The life skills they are learning with be valuable to them when they enter into the workplace.”
Helms graduated from Furman University with a degree in Music Education.