With the new 2016-2017 school year, NC received new faces, including head band director Sheldon Frazier.  Before Frazier started directing at NC, he taught as a band director at McEachern and spent time teaching in Michigan.

Frazier’s biggest worry deals with the workload correlated with the position.

“Changing from assistant director to head director required a lot more responsibility, and there is, but it is much more manageable than I thought it would be,” Frazier said.

The students in the band program easily invited Frazier into the Warrior family. With changes bound to happen, students had mixed feelings about how to react.

“With Mr. Williams leaving, I knew were going to get a new director,” sophomore Moya Perez said. “I was quite hesitant and I had only been in band for year and was scared that he was going to come in and change everything, and that I’d lose my interest in marching band. That’s the opposite of what happened.”

Despite some alterations in the program, people caught on quickly and easily conformed to some of the ideas and policy Frazier proposed.

Frazier’s different teaching methods really makes him stand out. Pannell and Williams taught a certain way every single day whereas Frazier teaches differently every week.

“He came in here with an open mind and ready to start. He did make some changes and we were not used to it obviously, but we have adapted to the way he does things and it has made us a stronger band,” Perez said. “He is very good at making connections with us and knows what he’s doing with our band.”

Frazier also seems to enjoy conducting the students at NC just as much as they like learning from him.

“The students on band have been very welcoming. I don’t have much interaction with people as much outside of the band program but everyone I’ve met through band students have been great and very welcoming as well,” Frazier said.

Frazier plans on continuing teaching at NC for many years. He loves seeing students realizing their potential, not only within the band program but in everyday life.

“It’s been a lot of fun! I stay busy because a lot of work needs to be done, but it’s a blast!” Frazier said.

Students and staff enjoy the new energy Frazier brings to NC and hope to see him again next year.