VINTON–Denise Aspell has been named sixth and seventh grade band director at William Byrd Middle School and assistant director of the Marching Terriers at the high school. Dan Plybon will continue to direct eighth grade band in addition to the WBHS bands. Aspell replaces Dawn Harbin Stegall.
Aspell is a native of Vinton. She attended W.E. Cundiff Elementary School, WBMS, and is a 2000 graduate of William Byrd High School. She had the privilege of working with and/or being taught by three Roanoke County music education legends—Brenda Louthian at Cundiff, Julie Covington at WBMS, and David Vail at WBHS. She played trumpet in the bands beginning in middle school, with Covington as her instructor.
Aspell graduated from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor’s degree in music education in 2005. She said she had always known she wanted to be a teacher and entered Tech in the elementary education program, then decided to focus on music.
She did a student internship with Louthian at Cundiff and her student teaching at WBHS with then-director Harbin who had been her band director her senior year at Byrd. She also completed internships at Glenvar Middle and High Schools.
While at Tech, Aspell was a member of the Marching Virginians, the University Symphony Band, and the University Jazz Band, and principal trumpet for the New River Valley Orchestra.
Her first teaching position was at Bath County High School in Hot Springs, covering a maternity leave for the band director there. She also worked with their elementary school music programs.
Her next position was as band director at Floyd County High School for two years. She was the band director at Franklin County High School from 2009 to 2013 and then at Staunton River Middle School from 2013-2015.
“When the opportunity came up to take a position back home, it was something I could not pass up,” said Aspell. “I am very excited to be back with the Byrd Band.”
She said she loves working with middle school aged students. She has been described as a “kid magnet.”
Plybon welcomes her to WBMS as he says the middle school program is all-important as it builds the foundation for the high school band.
In sixth and seventh grade band classes, students are introduced to and develop techniques of instrument playing, ensemble playing, and music reading. Band directors take lessons in a variety of instruments in their college music education curriculum to be able to teach students on the instrument they have the most aptitude for.
“Band is a team, and everyone’s mutual respect for the other team members is crucial to our success,” said Aspell. “Since band is a performing art, concerts and performances are the culmination of what we learn in class.”
There will be sixth grade winter and spring concerts, already scheduled for December 17 and April 21.
Aspell and Plybon also teach Stage Band–a course for students with an interest in learning about and performing all styles of “pop” music from Dixieland to the present with the emphasis on the big band style.
There are two different stage band classes for seventh and eighth graders—one meets on A-days and the other on B-days from 7:15 to 8:10 a.m. They perform in concert winter and spring on December 15 and April 19.
Band students may also try out for All-County Band and All-District Band.
Aspell comes from a musical family. Her mother played trumpet and was in the color guard at Northside High School.
In her increasingly limited spare time, Aspell now performs with Winds of the Blue Ridge, which is affiliated with Hollins University.
According to their website, “Winds of the Blue Ridge enhances the culture of Southwest Virginia by providing opportunities for skilled area musicians to participate in the creation of high quality symphonic band music and by performing concerts for the community free of charge throughout the year. Musicians are invited to join the group based on outstanding musicianship, experience, and passion for music.”
