HCHS Newscast Episode 2-All State

Here is episode two of the HCHS Newscast. In this podcast, HCHS News talks to Madi Schumacher about All-State.




Listen to HCHS Newscast Episode 2

Vocal/Band Concert Dec. 13, 2010

Didn't make it to the concert? Here is a recap of the events that night.

Vocal/Band Concert Dec. 13, 2010 from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

The Band Smorgasbord

info about the band smorgasbord

Band Smorgasbord from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

All State Band

All about all state

All State Band from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

The Mysterys of PEP Band

What goes on in PEP band? You will find out

The Mysterys of PEP Band from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

2010 JAZZ CHAMPIONS!

For those of you who don't know, HCHS Jazz Band just won their third Iowa Jazz Championship in a row! We have special interviews for you with some of the players, and other people's thoughts on the studs of the HCHS Jazz Band. By Alex and Hannah.

Iowa Jazz Champions! from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

Name That Tune!

Name That Tune! from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

The HCHS Concert Band had a pops concert on March 2nd. At this concert, they played many popular songs that you may have heard before. Watch this to play name that tune and see if you can guess the right song! We also interviewed band director Mr. Crilly and band student Ryan Henrich about this concert. There's also a surprise at the end of this video for two lucky people :)

What is Opus?

What is Opus? from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

HCHS vocal teacher Ms. Thies has been selected as a director for next year's Opus honor choir. So, what exactly is Opus, and how did she get selected for this honor? Watch and find out!

Stay Tuned

Stay Tuned from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

Say hello to the Flintstones, The Brady Bunch, Scooby Doo, Mr. Rodgers, Bob the Builder, and many others in this ridiculously amazing video about the vocal concert. What was the theme?: TV show theme songs of course! We've got footage and interviews from the concert just for you!

Music Tastes Can Affect Your Personality? by Tara Benner

Rap, Hip-hop, Blues, Gospel, Country, Rock, Alternative, Punk, Emo, Heavy Metal, Oldies, Techno, Screamo…. Everyone has different tastes in music. Some love country, but hate rap. Others love rock, but hate country. No one has “Bad” taste, just different.



Believe it or not, your music taste actually reveals something about yourself. We all have noticed, at at least one time or another, that our music taste goes along with our friends, clothing styles, activities, style of talking, and our desired “hang –out”. But music can also help you identify who you are as a person. Some of the statistics in music vs. personality choices might surprise you. Contrary to what most people believe, heavy metal fans, such as Metallica and KISS fans, are calm and at ease with themselves, smart, liberal, adventurous, athletic, and prone to social dominance, but most of heavy metal fans tend to be slackers. Classical music fans have some of the same traits as heavy metal fans. They are both calm, creative, and introverted. Unlike heavy metal fans though, classical music lovers tend to work harder and strive more towards their goals.

Studies show that listening to jazz music can help boost your self esteem, while heavy rock causes some people to lack self- belief and confidence. Rap and hip-hop fans, such as Lil Wayne or Justin Timberlake fans, are known for being outgoing and friendly, agreeable, liberal, athletic .Jazz listeners are also smart, liberal, and adventurous. People, who listen to Pop music such as Madonna or Britney Spears, tend to be agreeable, conscientious, conservative, rich, happy, and emotionally unstable. Indie lovers, such as Fall Out Boy fans, lack self-esteem and are not very gentle. Emo fans, such as My Chemical Romance and Three Days Grace fans, are similar to Heavy Metal fans, but also lack self confidence and are “mad at the world”. Country music listeners, such as Taylor Swift or Kenny Chesney fans, are hardworking and shy. While most people think it is heavy metal or emo music, Country music is the statistically proven most depressing genre of music out there. Obviously, Gospel and religious music listeners are, in fact, religious and consider them close to God and strongly believe in the Bible.



Most people tend to hang around friends who have the same or at least loosely similar music taste as themselves. This shows we all like to have the same interests as friends and like to be able to identify with them as well. Some people like just one specific type of music, while other listen to several, or even all types. These people tend to be very complex individuals with many different personality traits and types.

So, are you a hard working country fan, a extraverted rap lover, or a self confident Heavy Metal fan?

HCHS Band goes to Disney World!

HCHS Band goes to Disney World! from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

Mickey Mouse and all of his friends gladly welcomed the marching band when they went to Disney World on January 22-25. Watch this video to hear about the experience from Mr. Crilly and 2 band students. You'll even get to see a few pictures from band members and a video of them marching in the Magic Kingdom!

Faith Sound: A Ministry of Music

Faith Sound: A Ministry of Music from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

Faith Sound is an interdenominational contempory musical group from Harlan, Iowa, now in its 35th year. Members of the group are students (8th - 12th grade) from Harlan and the surrounding communities. Directed by Steve Lawson, this group performs in different churches across the Midwest every Sunday. Watch this video to learn more about this group and how it spreads God's word through the ministry of music.

Carols, Concerts, and Christmas

Carols, Concerts, and Christmas from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

Were you able to make it to the band and choir concert on Monday, December 14th? Neither were we! Due to bad weather conditions the concert got postponed to Friday, December 18th. Chris and ReNee were able to get footage of the concert and talk to the two directors. But just for your pleasure they decided to sing their intros to the tune of your favorite Christmas songs! So what are you waiting for? Check it out and you'll be put on Santa's nice list!

Bringing Glee to TV by Chris Schaben

A new musical sensation is quickly becoming a hit across the nation. No, I’m not talking about a new sequel to the lame High School Musical series. I’m talking about Glee! This new television series began this year on Fox and has been becoming a favorite TV show to many music fans everywhere. And as a Gleek (a name Glee fans refer to themselves as), I am going to point out why you should be watching this show!

Glee is a musical dramedy (drama/comedy) about a group of high school misfits in a high school glee club, or show choir. Many of the main characters have their own problems fitting into modern high school society. Some of these students include a football player who has a secret desire to join glee club, a cheerleader who was kicked off the squad after her coach found out she was pregnant, a boy who has is afraid of what people will think when he announces he’s gay, and a paraplegic boy who wonders if the glee club will accept him even if he can’t dance.

The main story of the show follows the Spanish teacher, William Schuester, who was once a glee club member himself and wants to revive the glee club back to its former glory. The only problem is that many students in the school think glee club is lame and everybody thinks they will get made fun of if they join. And to make matters worse, the cheerleading coach, Sue Sylvester, wants to make sure the glee club doesn’t steal the spotlight for her squad, the Cheerios. However, with a sense of pride and determination, Mr. Schuester finds members who are willing to face the challenges required to be in glee club. Together, the members learn to accept people for who they are and remember that they are in the club to have fun no matter how many people mock and bully them.

Not only is the story a great inspiration, but the phenomenal music the cast sings is probably the reason so many people have gotten hooked on the show. Glee features popular music from all kinds of different genres including rock, pop, country, R&B, hip-hop, and show tunes. Some of my favorite songs they have covered on the show are “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey, “Somebody to Love” by Queen, “Imagine” by John Lennon, “Jump” by Van Halen, and “Keep Holding On” by Avril Lavigne. Plus, all the music is available to buy on iTunes, or you can buy Glee: The Music Volume 1 and Volume 2 on CD now!

Unfortunately, the season finale of the show was on TV on Wednesday, December 9th, but you can still watch several of the episodes online for free at fox.com. Also, the DVD of the first 13 episodes will be released on December 29th, so now you will have something you can spend all your Christmas gift cards on! The show will return sometime in spring. But until then, you can listen to the watch the episodes or listen to the music (over and over again because it’s amazing) while you wait!

If you watch Glee, please comment and let me know why this new show appeals to you! And if you haven’t seen Glee yet, I would highly recommend you to go to fox.com immediately and watch as many episodes as you can. With the diverse kinds of music used, anybody who loves music is sure to enjoy this show. So give it a try, and let me know what you think!

Jazzin' It Up!

Jazzin' It Up! from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

Did you get the chance to go to the Harlan Jazz Concert on Tuesday, November 24th? You didn't?! Then have we got good news for you! We recorded the high school portion of the concert for you to enjoy! You're welcome. You can see the Harlan Jazz Ensemble and the Harlan Jazz Experience featuring vocalist Bob Fields and alto sax player Dave Camwell! Enjoy!

2009 All State Music Festival

This is an informational video on the 2009 Iowa All State Music Festival, brought to you by Alex and Joe. If you're wondering what the festival is, how you get there, and who all qualified in our school, you're in the right place. Enjoy!

All State Music Festival 2009 from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

Seussical: Oh, The Plays We Will Show!

Untitled from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

From the jungle of Nool,
to the planet of Who,
coming to Harlan school
is something brand new.

It's Seussical the Musical, a new musical based off the famous stories of Dr. Seuss! Watch this video to learn about the drama/music department and the great show they have developed! And don't forget to come see the musical on November 5th or 7th. The show will start at 7:30. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students. Activity tickets are also accepted.

Rock For Relief Promotion

Rock For Relief from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

This is a promotional video for the upcoming Rock For Relief, Disaster Relief concert. All the info is within in the video. All proceeds are 100% non-profit and go the American Red Cross disaster relief fund.

Sports and Test Scores/Aaron Sondag

As we all know Harlan Community is a very well respected school for sports, but what most people dont know is that we are also one of the highest ranking schools in Iowa for test scores. Iowa is also in the top five of the states in the US for test scores. Many students who excel on the fields and courts also excel in the classrooms. Take Micheal and Mary Kuafmann both are in sports and have been starters for a few years now in those sports, but they also dominate the class room scores with GPA's that make them stand out from the rest of the students. Both have also scored very high on the ACT when they took it their sophmore year. Another individual is Luke Lansman who just last year scored a very impresive 35 overall score on his ACT and is also a star in sports. It's no doubt that Harlan has had very high expectations in sports, but to also have them in state and national test scores from the very same people who star in the sports that Harlan provides is a very excellent feat indeed. Not only has our test scores and sports been improving, but also band and vocal have now been getting in the top of Iowa's best schools and showing that we are not just a school for sports but many other activities. Every year we get new students in our schools and they always bring in new talents to the Harlan Community School district, and that will not change for a very long time.

Wildlife Adventures: The Harlan Bandies!

Wildlife Adventures: The Harlan Bandies! from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

Join us now for an awesome adventure narrated by Chris Schaben with a terrible Austrailian-ish accent to discover the nature of the wild Harlan Bandies. Now you can finally peek into the lifestyles of these magnificent creatures who march through the wilderness of the high school parking lot by morning and stampede onto the football field by night!