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Ep. 13 — Slow Is Smooth, Smooth Is Fast: Building a Program from Zero (Hunter Boe, Standing Bear)
Guest episode of Slow & Steady — A Podcast by ARTILLERY.
In this episode, Jake sits down with Hunter Boe, the founding vocal music director at Standing Bear High School in Lincoln, Nebraska, to talk about what it actually looks like to build something from nothing.
Standing Bear opened in August 2023. No traditions, no alumni, no existing program. Hunter was hand-picked to build the entire music department from scratch — choir, show choir, musical, unified music. His show choir, the Renegades, started with 52 students. 49 of them had never done show choir before. By the end of year one, they were making finals and hosting their own invitational.
Hunter shares the early chaos, the decisions that set the tone for everything that followed, and why he believes community has to come before competition. He also talks about what "slow is smooth, smooth is fast" looks like in practice — and why frantic effort rarely compounds the way steady, intentional work does.
This episode is for anyone building something new — a program, a business, a team, a brand — and trying to make decisions today that still hold up in five years.
In this episode:
- What "day one" actually looked like at a brand-new school with unfinished walls and no traditions
- The STAND framework — Supportive, Tenacious, Ambitious, Novel, Disciplined — and how it became the department's ethos
- Why Hunter waited a full year before starting show choir
- What happens when competition results become the goal (and relationships get transactional)
- How grizzlypaw.org serves as the program's hub for recruiting, fundraising, and storytelling
- The challenge of scaling from 25 students to 120 while keeping culture intact
- Unified music and why it's the most joyful part of Hunter's day
About Hunter Boe
Hunter Boe is the founding vocal music director at Standing Bear High School. He built the school's entire music program from zero — choir, show choir, musical theater, and unified music — starting with students who had never performed in an ensemble. Previously directed programs at Norris and Wahoo.
His mantra: "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast."
Standing Bear Vocal Music on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook Website: https://www.grizzlypaw.org/
Artillery Links Podcast page: https://artillerymedia.com/podcast/ Contact us: https://artillerymedia.com/contact/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artillery_media/?hl=en Jake on X: https://x.com/jakekramer15?lang=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artillerymedia
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By Jake Kramer & John WootenGuest episode of Slow & Steady — A Podcast by ARTILLERY.
In this episode, Jake sits down with Hunter Boe, the founding vocal music director at Standing Bear High School in Lincoln, Nebraska, to talk about what it actually looks like to build something from nothing.
Standing Bear opened in August 2023. No traditions, no alumni, no existing program. Hunter was hand-picked to build the entire music department from scratch — choir, show choir, musical, unified music. His show choir, the Renegades, started with 52 students. 49 of them had never done show choir before. By the end of year one, they were making finals and hosting their own invitational.
Hunter shares the early chaos, the decisions that set the tone for everything that followed, and why he believes community has to come before competition. He also talks about what "slow is smooth, smooth is fast" looks like in practice — and why frantic effort rarely compounds the way steady, intentional work does.
This episode is for anyone building something new — a program, a business, a team, a brand — and trying to make decisions today that still hold up in five years.
In this episode:
- What "day one" actually looked like at a brand-new school with unfinished walls and no traditions
- The STAND framework — Supportive, Tenacious, Ambitious, Novel, Disciplined — and how it became the department's ethos
- Why Hunter waited a full year before starting show choir
- What happens when competition results become the goal (and relationships get transactional)
- How grizzlypaw.org serves as the program's hub for recruiting, fundraising, and storytelling
- The challenge of scaling from 25 students to 120 while keeping culture intact
- Unified music and why it's the most joyful part of Hunter's day
About Hunter Boe
Hunter Boe is the founding vocal music director at Standing Bear High School. He built the school's entire music program from zero — choir, show choir, musical theater, and unified music — starting with students who had never performed in an ensemble. Previously directed programs at Norris and Wahoo.
His mantra: "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast."
Standing Bear Vocal Music on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook Website: https://www.grizzlypaw.org/
Artillery Links Podcast page: https://artillerymedia.com/podcast/ Contact us: https://artillerymedia.com/contact/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artillery_media/?hl=en Jake on X: https://x.com/jakekramer15?lang=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artillerymedia