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Play It Forward: Honoring the Legacy of Dr. Harry Haines
Harry Hartman Haines was a beloved director of the Norman High School bands from 1959-1968. Born in Elk City, he earned a bachelor's degree in music from Oklahoma City University in 1954, as well as a masters in 1956 and a doctorate in 1968 from the University of Oklahoma. His teaching career spanned 46 years and included 15 years as a high school band director and 31 in higher education, including serving as the head of the department of music at West Texas A&M University. Throughout the span of his career, he published 22 books, with over one million copies in print, ranging from band method books to fiction. Dr. Haines passed away in 2024 and is survived by his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Dr. Haines’ impact on the Norman High School Bands is still evident today. He was a pioneer in music education. He and his colleagues helped develop the breath impulse system adopted by many programs during that time. This led to students quickly grasping concepts like rhythm and even vibrato much quicker. In his honor, a new piece will be commissioned for the Norman High band to play at the spring band concert in May, 2026. Our hope is to engage composers who are under-represented in the band community, to write a new work to be added for many to play. This will allow a wider range of voices to be heard and celebrated with band music! To help honor the legacy of Dr. Haines, On-Point Construction Management has offered a matching gift challenge as part of our 12th Annual Big Band Dinner Dance. They will match gifts made in Dr. Haines’ name, dollar-for-dollar, up to $1,500. By allowing us to “play it forward”, your gift will be doubled and help us to bring this new piece of music to life. We are so thankful for the generosity of On-Point Construction Management, and hope you will join us to pay tribute to Dr. Haines’ legacy. |
To make a donation, please choose one of the following methods:
- Donate via PayPal: Scan QR code or visit this link (https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=WG73MNFBEQ9EE&source=qr)
- Donate via CashApp: Scan QR code or send your donation to $nhbaok.
- Donate by mail: Norman High Band Association. Attn: Play It Forward, P.O. Box 5092, Norman, OK 73070
