Rockin' at Steele: Permanent Flux not your average high school band

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At high schools across the nation, band is one of the largest extracurricular activities. Northwest ISD’s Steele Early College High School, however, is not a traditional high school, and it’s fitting that its band is not a typical high school band.

Instead of dozens of students coming together to form a marching band, 12 students and one math teacher are rocking out three times a week to everything from Green Day to Creedence Clearwater Revival. The band is appropriately named Permanent Flux, as students come and go each year, but one thing has remained constant for nearly 10 years, Keith Smith.

Mr. Smith is a math teacher at Steele who doubles as a drummer, guitarist and bassist in his spare time. In 2015, a student approached Mr. Smith about creating a guitar club.

Pretty soon after, the club morphed into a group of students who had musical talents outside of just the guitar, and with the help of the district’s fine arts department to purchase equipment, Permanent Flux was born.

“When the band first started, I was the drummer,” Mr. Smith said. “We had a handful of kids that played guitar or bass, we had quite a few singers, and I realized this is going to be a thing that sticks, but every year it's going to be different.”

The flux of the band happens organically as seniors graduate and freshmen come to campus. The band has also grown from just an extracurricular club to a class in which students can get academic credit, much like marching band classes.

As part of Steele’s modified block schedule, the band class meets on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Those are the days they learn songs, rehearse and even watch videos of their past rehearsals. Rehearsals take place in the school’s cafeteria, sending the sounds of Weezer, Linkin Park and David Bowie throughout the Steele hallways.

Permanent Flux performs for the broader Steele community twice a year, including at the conclusion of last Friday’s annual Family Night In when students, staff and families packed into the Steele Cafe to rock with the band!

Kai Nelson is a freshman who is new to the band this year and just started playing music in 2022. He began with a keyboard in his room, then progressed to guitar, and now plays both, plus sings a few songs for the band.

“I’ve really enjoyed the people that I get to play with,” Kai said. “At the beginning of the year I didn’t really know any of them, but over time we’ve gotten to know each other, and with our similarities in taste of music we’ve really worked well together.”

When the band began, Mr. Smith played drums on nearly every song. Now, the veteran teacher and musician plays guitar on one song, with the band being completely student-led for the remainder of its setlist.

The 12 students seamlessly rotate on and off stage during songs with one, Jacob Reeves, playing guitar for the entire performance. 

A junior who has been a member of Permanent Flux for all three of his years at Steele, Jacob has really found his love for music thanks to the band.

“I have always been into music, but my passion for music really grew once I joined the band,” Jacob said. “It has been a big game changer for me. Getting to play music and do the one thing that I love most every day has been awesome.”

Extracurricular activities are a major source of pride and accomplishment for many high school students. These groups offer students an outlet to participate in activities they are passionate about, and that often leads to happier, more engaged students which in turn leads to more academic success.

“Finding things to do outside of the academic walls is really important for kids,” Mr. Smith said. “It’s important to me that we offer those things at Steele.”

From the National Honor Society that organized the Family Night In event to the boys volleyball team, which Mr. Smith also coaches, extracurricular activities are plentiful at Steele.

Although its members may be in flux each year, Permanent Flux is certainly a permanent fixture that will continue to impact students for years to come.