BA Band Director To Be Inducted To Hall Of Fame This Weekend

The Broken Arrow Public Schools Band Director will soon be inducted into the Bands of America Hall of Fame, the first Oklahoman to be honored.

The Pride of Broken Arrow has won countless awards over the past several decades. They’re about to be recognized again this year, this time for an honor no other band director in the state has received.

As he leads rehearsal at Broken Arrow High School, Director of Bands Darrin Davis is living out his dream.

"It's one of the best jobs on the planet. That you get a chance to make music with kids every day,” Davis said.

He looks back to the time when he was one of those kids, inspired by his band directors to devote his life to music.

"My history of the Broken Arrow bands dates back from me being a sixth-grader, getting the trumpet in my hand the first day I started to play an instrument,” he said.

Now, he's influencing the next generation of talent in Broken Arrow.

"In college, I plan to keep playing the bassoon, just cause it's fun,” Emily Turner said.

Turner is a senior. She's played the bassoon for seven years, learning from Davis for the last three.

“He's definitely caring. You can definitely tell,” she said. “He can be a little straightforward, but that's also a good thing because it keeps us in line."

This week, Broken Arrow’s symphonic band will perform in Indianapolis, where Davis will be inducted in the Bands of America Hall of Fame.

"I think it'll be a little surreal to see your picture go up on a screen and to think that I’ll join some of my heroes,” Davis said.

If you'd like to see the bands perform, they'll be playing Monday at the Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center at 6:00 and 7:30. The symphonic band will play at 6:00, previewing its performance in Indianapolis. Four other bands, including the wind ensemble, will play at 7:30.

The wind ensemble will travel to Chicago in April to perform there.