Alfred Watkins: THE LEGEND & The Secret of 'poco a poco'

Last night, I had the pleasure of speaking with Alfred Watkins, retired band director of the famed Lassiter High School Band. Under his direction, the Lassiter Band became a nationally recognized program of excellence receiving four invitations to the Midwest Clinic, six performances at the BOA National Concert Band Festival, two Grand Championships at BOA, four appearances in the Tournament of Roses Parades and three appearances in the NYC Macy's Day Parade.

Anyone of those accomplishments would be a highlight of any band director's career. However, over the course of three and a half decades, Alfred Watkins developed a culture of excellence using his personal method of "poco a poco," little by little.

In this interview, we talked about his success, overcoming obstacles, and building a positive culture at Lassiter, poco a poco.