Bartlesville’s Chris Koehn

As Chris Koehn finishes up his third year as Director of Bands at Bartlesville High School, VYPE Magazine wanted to catch up with Mr. Koehn to learn more about his job and what makes the Bartlesville band special. Koehn said the students and families play a huge role in creating the right atmosphere for great things to happen.

“The band kids and their families are a wonderful group of people to work for. I have found them to be kind, generous, and determined to better our program. There is also a long, rich history of fine arts support in Bartlesville that makes working here a pleasure,” said Koehn.

The work that goes into a performance includes long hours of practice and drilling that the fans never witness.

“During marching season, we begin every day at 7:00am and rehearse through first hour. We also have evening rehearsals a couple of times per week and attend our contests on Saturdays. We perform at Friday night football games and play pep band gigs at various school and community events,” Koehn said. “The band marches in our local parades as well as giving their own concerts in our Fine Arts Center here at the high school. Students can also compete as individuals or in small groups at our district and state level honor band and solo/ensemble events. We are currently preparing for our state level concert band contest that is held in mid-April.”

With such a strong tradition of excellence, Koehn is focused on building on that legacy and making the most of every opportunity afforded the program. Strong support from the school is a big reason the BHS band can take continue to grow and reach new heights.

“As I stated earlier Bartlesville has a long history of supporting fine arts. I find the support we receive from all levels of our administration and school board to be some of the best in the state,” said Koehn.

With two degrees from Oklahoma State University and a former Fairview High School student, Koehn knows what it takes to be successful. The future of the program is in the right hands. “We hope that we are providing the band kids with a competitive 6A band experience. We work to create a culture in which kids can be included in a supportive group of kids and adults,” said Koehn.