Terrific Band Director 5/12/2011

Bayport High School Band is gearing up for a concert to celebrate the school's 50th anniversary. Channel 5's Millaine Wells shows us how it is bringing two Terrific Teachers together. Calvin Siegrist hasn't conducted the Bayport Band since 1990. Siegrist was hired in 1962 to expand the music program at Bayport when it was till getting started. The first band had just 12 students. Word of Siegrist's talent spread quickly, and by October the band grew to 100 students. Now, the band has about 200 students. The current conductor, Luther Appel, started 15 years ago and says Siegrist's legacy lives on. "The piece that we're play, Mr. Siegrist could have easily conducted 50 years ago," Appel said. Siegrist was recently asked to conduct the school song, which he wrote, when the band was playing at a basketball game. "We came up with a little number and never did I think it would last 50 years," Siegrist said. "No way did we want words written to 'On Wisconsin Victory March' or any Big 10 number, we wanted our own identity." The school song will be the finale at the upcoming band concert. Alumni are being asked to bring their instrument and play along, and to honor the man who started it all.