NEW ORLEANS— A star-studded alumni has passed through the walls of Warren Easton High School from Pete Fountain to Trombone Shorty. And the alumnus heading the music program understands fully what music has done for her, and what it can do for her students.
Band Director Asia Muhaimin says, “I’ve learned so much in music. I started playing clarinet when I was 6, so I’ve been playing music almost as long as I’ve been living, so it’s a big piece of my everyday life.”
Directing high school bands is a largely male-dominated field in our city. But just as Muhaimin doesn’t allow excuses from her students, she also doesn’t offer any about her directing.
“People don’t look at Warren Easton as ‘ok that’s the lady director’s band’, they just look at Warren Easton’s Band. They don’t say who’s the director, they just say that’s Warren Easton’s band,” said Muhaimin.
Being in the Warren Easton band also includes service projects with Habitat for Humanity that helps build character and develop these young people, but it also helps to have someone at the top giving their all.
Muhaimin says of her students, “They want to be here so you have to make the time and get them prepared because they want to be here. They make the choice to say I wan to be in your program so I want to get them successful to be a part of my program.”
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to stand on the sidelines as a member of the band, ready for battle, trumpeter Milana Dowell said it well, “I have a lot of anticipation, because I like going to games. It’s like…it’s fun. It’s nice to challenge other bands and getting that feeling of winning”
Make no mistake, these are talented students that take pride in what they do, but they also have a really good time doing it.
“The thing that makes it fun for me is they have a whole lot of energy and they make me feel better. After coming from school we jus have a whole lot of fun,” said trombonist Donovan Walker.