Bassett excited to get started as Comanche's new band director

Dalaan Bassett brings a mixture of youthful enthusiasm and music experience to Comanche as the district’s new band director.

Bassett is no stranger to Comanche. He spent part of his time last semester doing student teaching for the school as he finished up his degree at East Central University in Ada. Now a college graduate, Bassett has taken over the program full-time in the spring semester.

“Whenever you start with a new school there’s always going to be a semester where you are working your way back up and even with Mr. (Kirk) Prucha, who stepped in as choir director to help out, they were still demolishing everything they went to,” Bassett said. “There’s not going to be a rebuilding. It’s just going to be them getting used to me and me getting used to them. They’re all great kids. They’re all extremely talented. They are much more ready than I thought they were going to be and I’m happy to work with them.”

He has also been happy with the support he has received from the school and community.

“Whenever you are in school they tell you to work with the school and with the boosters, but they don’t tell you how much they help you.” Bassett said. “They’ve been nothing but welcoming and helpful to me and they’ve made this big step in my life a lot easier so that I can focus more on helping the kids.”

At the Christmas concert last month, he was passed the conductor’s baton, symbolic of the fact he is now the official director.

Bassett moved around a little when he was younger, but he mostly grew up in Sulphur.

“I did a lot of music growing up,” Bassett said. “I was in every band class they offered at Sulphur and other schools. (Music) was a great comfort for me and I can’t wait to teach it.”

As a band teacher he knows how to play all the instruments. He grew up playing brass instruments like the trombone, baritone, trumpet and tuba.

“I love the feeling when you are playing as a group and it doesn’t sound right, and then it just clicks and everything comes together,” Bassett said. “I love slowly watching someone getting significantly better at their instrument and you can tell. It’s also a great way to get emotions out. It’s a great way to show your feelings. And, really, it’s just fun. I really enjoy it.”

A couple of different factors led to the band not marching in 2023, but Bassett hopes to change that starting next fall as he looks to get the band back on the field.

“I’m hoping to have us start a little earlier, like at the end of summer just to get a bit more marching in because we didn’t get to do that last year,” Bassett said. “With marching, it is something you have to practice every year, so I want to teach the kids and help those who haven’t done it in a while to get it in their system.”

He already has an idea of what he wants to do for a marching show.

“That’s a secret, I can’t tell you that right now,” Bassett said.