Former Director of Bands Dr. Robert Lawrence stands in the band room in February 2019. At the 2023 Spring Concert, the band program performed a song created to posthumously honor Lawrence, who improved the band program significantly in his time at Clarke Central High School. “I think we, as Clarke Central director and students, have (to) understand that we stand on the shoulders of the people that came before us,” Director of Bands Chris Simpson said. “It’s our job to be good stewards of our space, be good stewards of everything that’s afforded to us because it’s not like this everywhere.” Photo by Elena Webber
Current and former members of the CCHS band program gathered to honor the late Dr. Robert Lawrence, former Director of Bands, with a song written in his honor.
For years, musicians have honored each other through songs like Weezer’s “Buddy Holly” and Drake’s “Girls Love Beyonce.” Now, that honor has been extended to former Director of Bands Dr. Robert Lawrence.
Although Lawrence left Clarke Central High School in 2019 to be closer to his family and died in 2020, current CCHS students still feel his impact.
“My brother was a part of the program when Dr. Lawrence was here and he would always talk about how much of an inspiration (Lawrence) was to younger players. He would talk a lot about how much he cares about the program and how he wanted students to pursue music,” percussionist Angelica Wright, a senior, said. “He would always try to make sure that kids are on the right path and would always act like a father figure in the band program.”
After Lawrence’s death, Director of Bands Chris Simpson proposed the idea of commissioning a piece in his honor. In 2020, CCSD band directors voted to allot funds to a commission through the Georgia Music Educators’ Association.
Clarke Central High School band students stand in E. B. Mell Auditorium at the Spring Concert on April 20. Several alumni returned to Clarke Central High School to play in the concert and honor former Director of Bands Dr. Robert Lawrence. “A lot of (band) alumni are still connected with us in some way, shape, form or fashion, whether that is coming and volunteering time here or just stopping by to say hello,” Director of Bands Chris Simpson said. “It was no more than a phone call and text and (word) spread like wildfire trying to get everybody here. The kids knew that we were going to do something to honor Dr. Lawrence back in 2020. Then when it came to fruition, our network sent out the signals and everybody that can make it back (did).” Photo by Wyatt Meyer
“(The song) is entitled, ‘My Life, My Legacy,’ written by Daniel Montoya Jr. It’s not a mourning, sad, dreary song. Dr. Lawrence, even though he was in his latter age, was still very spirited and young at heart. So that’s depicted in there, as well. It ends in a very celebratory and cheerful manner,” Simpson said. “The piece itself was written with inspiration taken from the hymn ‘It Is Well,’ and that was Dr. Lawrence’s favorite hymn. A lot of the piece is taken inspiration from that hymn and bits and pieces of it are stitched together to form the piece. So it’s a lot of symbolism.”
“My Life, My Legacy” was the last selection in the Spring Concert on April 20. Class of 2018 graduate Kirsten Pierce, along with several other alumni, returned to CCHS to perform with the band and honor Lawrence.
“He was a cool teacher. We were really close. We were like family, the whole band was like family,” Pierce said. “It’s a lot of nostalgia. I feel 14 again. It’s a good feeling though, I’m glad that we came back. He’d be very proud of us, I know.”
“My Life, My Legacy” encapsulates Lawrence’s unique personality that made him stand out as a teacher.
“He was a very headstrong person, but, in that, he was the biggest advocate for his students (and) the program,” Simpson said. “They all looked at him as a father figure, somebody they can depend on, somebody that celebrated them when they did good and was not afraid to tell them, ‘Hey, you messed up, and this is how you’re gonna fix it.’ He really left an impression on a lot of students that had the privilege of sitting under his baton.”
Simpson saw Lawrence’s dependability as one of his most admirable traits.
“He was one of the ones that were going to tell them the truth no matter how good or bad it may make them feel, but he’s also going to be right there to help you out of whatever you got yourself into,” Simpson said. “He’s a rock in the middle of a river. He’s not gonna move, you’re gonna have to learn how to flow around him.”
“He was one of the ones that were going to tell them the truth no matter how good or bad it may make them feel, but he’s also going to be right there to help you out of whatever you got yourself into. He’s a rock in the middle of a river. He’s not gonna move, you’re gonna have to learn how to flow around him.”
— Chris Simpson,
Director of Bands
Lawrence’s strong personality and leadership style helped the band program grow from 15 students to three full classes.
“The band program, when (Lawrence) took it over, I like to say it was very malnourished. They were (only) marching band and they didn’t know how to play,” Simpson said. “He spent probably the first four or five years cleaning it up. The kids took hold to him, he got rid of some kids or kids got rid themselves, and the kids that remained really started to build a program up and started to make waves in our community.”
Overall, Wright has seen Lawrence’s impact on the CCHS band program through the passion of the alumni she worked with during rehearsals and the concert.
“It’s a very exciting thing to do because you get to play with kids that were under (Lawrence’s) wing rather than being with Mr. Simpson,” Wright said. “We get to see how much they loved him through their expression through music, and (I love) being able to just have them come play and honor Dr. Lawrence one more time.”
