At El Dorado High School, the band isn’t just another club, it’s a lifestyle.
Starting in the fifth and sixth grades, students are trained not only in music, but in teamwork, determination and responsibility to help them mold themselves into prime college band assets well deserving of scholarships.
“This is a skill that takes years to develop,” said band director Rob Kloap.
Out of 20 senior band students this past spring, nine of them received a combined total of $350,000 in scholarships, which is not unusual for band students who work so hard for so many years.
Alongside his three other co-band directors, Kloap has an expectation of success for every person in his band.
From student leadership roles in groups such as the Band Council, where students take to the bigger tasks that allow the band to run smoothly, to younger students known as “band-aides,” Kloap said, there is no shortage of opportunities for students to jump in and help out.
“My kids go through our program and when they come out, we’ve taught them— they can play, they know how to read music, they know all the basic things that are necessary for them to perform on their instrument. They’ve got the discipline to do the job,” Kloap said.
That’s what gets students to the end goal – discipline and working hard even when no one is asking them to, he said. Many students actually want to be in the band hall practicing during the summer and “the others will be dragged to success right along with them,” Kloap said.
Another perk of being a part of the EHS Band is being required to participate in the All Region Band competition. Many students would rather shy away from the spotlight, but with this requirement comes success that would not have happened otherwise.
With band camps and practices starting in August and continuing on Tuesdays and Thursdays during first period in the fall, the band’s rigorous dedication matches that of other sports in the school. The idea is to reach those short term goals so when it does come time to graduate, a scholarship is just the end of the road.
“We have a solo ensemble competition,” Kloap said. “Everybody has to play a solo and the entire band made it first or second division. There was not anybody that did not make a one or a two. You know, that’s cool. That tells me that they can kind of find their way around the horn and I think that’s why the scholarship offers are there.”
Kloap talks about how his students are taking their success to another level by brushing off their instruments in the fall not only on college campuses all over Arkansas, but Oklahoma and Southern Illinois, as well.
Kloap said he wasn’t shocked by the immense scholarship offers awarded to his students.
“One of the kids got a scholarship on the track of the (Ouachita Baptist University) and (Southern Arkansas University) football game,” Kloap said, referring to the Murphy USA Classic, held each fall. “I was there because we’re the host and I was just making sure they got everything they needed and one of my students was there that wanted to go to Ouachita and I made him walk over there. I said, ‘Come on, let’s go meet him.’ So we walked around the track to the band directors and they looked at him and said, ‘You’re the soloist from the show this year, we’ll give you $2,000 to come right now.’ He never even blew a note for them. Nothing.”
Hannah Margis can be reached at [email protected].