Welcome to the About SOA page. This page will show you information about SOA and the Band Program.
For more information, see the following pages:
About the Charleston County School of the ArtsThe School of the Arts is the only public arts magnet school in the state of South Carolina. It is located in the Charleston County School District in North Charleston, SC. It is a middle and high school for grades 6th through 12th Students apply by audition and are ranked in order of talent in their area. The school focuses on academic excellence as well as excelling in the arts. The principal of the school is Mrs. Rose Maree Myers. Click Here to Visit the School of the Arts Web Site
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The Wind EnsembleThe Wind Ensemble currently includes 54 members from 9th to 12th grade. Its director is Basil Kerr. The Wind Ensemble has received several awards, including ratings of I at the 1999 and 2001 SC State Concert Festivals, a rating of II at the 2000 State Concert Festival, and numerous Superior ratings at the 1999 and 2000 Solo & Ensemble Festivals. |
The Jazz EnsembleThe Jazz Ensemble is a small 17 member ensemble which meets every other day as a class separate from the Wind Ensemble. Each musician in this group has auditioned as an optional school activity in addition to the required SOA Wind Ensemble. This group, which won straight superior ratings at the 2001 SC State Jazz Festival, plays a wide variety of styles of jazz, ranging from Big Band, Ballads, Waltzes, Swings, and other various types of old time music hits. The Jazz Ensemble holds a fundraiser dance called Jump, Jive 'n' Wail every year in October to benefit the SOA Band Program. |
Applicants must be a resident of Charleston County. An official application form is completed for an art area major chosen from creative writing, dance, instrumental band, string orchestra, vocal music, piano, theater and visual art. A student may apply in no more than two art areas and a complete application packet must be submitted for each art area. Applications for the sixth grade must be turned in to the office or post marked by the third Wednesday in November.
Applications for all other grades, seventh through twelfth, are accepted on an ongoing basis and auditioned in March and May or as openings occur. Students are notified of the results by mail and waiting lists are established for each art area and grade level. As openings occur, students are called from the waiting lists. Acceptance is conditional upon proof that the student has passed all subjects during the regular school year. Summer school credits are not accepted. Students who have not been called from the waiting list by the end of the first semester do not need to reapply, but will be invited to re-audition if they are interested in remaining on the waiting list.
In order to remain in good standing at School of the Arts, students must be promoted to the next grade and have a passing grade in the art area major at the end of the school year. Students may not return to School of the Arts if they are not passing or if they are expelled.
Students at SOA are afforded one opportunity to audition for a change of art major if they so desire. A student desiring a change of major must submit a form signed by a parent by February 15. The student will be asked to write an essay about his/her experience in the art area. Then the student will be scheduled for an audition. Students should prepare and practice for the audition in a serious manner as each student has only one opportunity to audition. If the student passes the audition and there is space in the major area, the student will begin in the new art major in August of the next school year. If the student does not pass the audition he/she will be allowed to remain in the current art major.
A native Charlestonian,
Mr. Basil Kerr
attended the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music and the University of Miami,
earning his B. M. degree there in 1976. He received the M.M. from the University
of South Carolina in 1987 and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at USC. Mr. Kerr
has performed as a horn player with many professional ensembles, including the
Miami Philharmonic, the Ives Festival Chamber Orchestra, the Charleston Symphony
and the SC Philharmonic.
While working on his degree in Columbia the past few years, Mr. Kerr served as student teacher supervisor for band director candidates at the USC School of Music. He also recently completed a year as director of bands at Lakewood HS in Sumter. He has been the High School Band Director at the Charleston County School of the Arts since the 1998-1999 school year and has been undertaking the ongoing task of developing a still-growing high school program.
From 1977-1995 he served as director of bands at Wando High School in Mt. Pleasant, SC. During this period, the Wando Band attained a reputation for excellence in both concert and marching performance, earning numerous superior ratings at state and regional festivals and competitions. He also is credited with creating one of the first Advanced Placement Music Theory classed in South Carolina.
Mr. Kerr has been listed in "Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers," and is a member of Phi Kappa Lambada, the national honor fraternity for scholars in music. He holds memberships in MENC and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia professional music fraternity.
Please take some time to fill out the Band Web Page Questionnaire.
To contact the SOA Band Webmaster, the Director Mr. Basil Kerr or any member of the SOA High School Band Program, send mail to webmaster@soaband.com
To hire the SOA Wind Ensemble or Jazz Ensemble for a gig, email us at webmaster@soaband.com
Thank You. Your input is valuable to us :)
-Scott Black, SOA Bands Webmaster