BU Welcomes New Band Director
Photo provided by Rampage student photographer Elei Haynes
The music department at Bluefield University experienced some changes this year when Dr. Andy Necessary retired over the summer. Dr. Necessary was a beloved professor at Bluefield for many years who brought much joy through his passion for music and his students.
“Dr. Necessary always made sure everyone felt at home. His band was like a second family to him. Even when we were small in numbers, we were never small at heart. He encouraged every one of us to not only play with confidence but to carry that confidence to serve our university and the community no matter what we did,” said John Thompson, a previous student of Dr. Necessary.
While Dr. Necessary will be greatly missed, BU is excited to welcome Dr. Carl Hess as director of bands and assistant professor of music. He is very excited to implement changes and new shows for the band. Dr. Hess attended Graham High School and has a great passion for the community in the Bluefield area.
“Especially with the music department, I want to be as active as we can be, whether it’s doing parades in the community, or just getting people excited about music,” Dr. Hess said. “Music is a passion of mine, but I would say people are my biggest passion. I love helping people and reaching people, and I do that through music.”
Dr. Hess is implementing two new shows for the fall semester. At the start of the semester, the band’s set will feature classic rock anthems, and in October, they will move to a Michael Jackson set. He hopes that doing two shows will keep the students and audience interested. Audience members can expect to hear classic hits such as “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne, “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey, and “Living on a Prayer” by Bob Jovi.
“We are entertainers,” Dr. Hess said. “We want to entertain ourselves first, but also the crowd, and we want to get the football team pumped.”
Dr. Hess came to BU excited about the positive direction the school is heading. One of his favorite things about the university is the “spirit of the institution, which I think is driven by the Holy Spirit on the whole.” He appreciates that “there’s a desire to be excellent, but not at any cost.”
Dr. Hess would like to see growth in the music department and “show our community what we’re capable of.” He hopes to be involved in the community through the band and BU.
He referred to a teacher of his at Graham High School who told him, “I don’t coach football. I coach men.” Dr. Hess said this has stuck with him, and band is his own version of football.
“Those [band and football] are vehicles. That’s not the passion. That’s the way you get the passion across. So, anytime I’m able to help somebody, I just love that,” Dr. Hess said. “It’s not about me, and it’s not about you. It’s about us and trying to build, or rebuild in some cases, community with each other.”