Alex Meixner visited HAHS on September 28, 2023, to give Frau Stevens’, Mrs. Kline’s, and Mr. Kline’s students enjoyment during the concert. The Alex Meixner Concert was held in the HAHS auditorium during 7th and flex period. This concert itself was coordinated last year after Alex Meixner came to play his instruments by himself. With the help of the secretaries Mrs. Bowen and Mrs. Hoover, Frau Stevens, Mrs. Kline, and Mr. Kline helped bring Meixner and his band to perform at the school, again.

     The reason that they wanted to coordinate this event was to get students interested in the music as well as to see instruments that they have never seen before, and to get them more information about the German program. The students that attended were from German, band, or one of Mr. Kline’s AP classes. The way that their students got into the Alex Meixner concert was by giving socks to Frau Stevens, which she donated to homeless shelters who needed them. The concert itself cost around $3,000 in total.

     The total amount of socks that got donated was 163 pairs, which was more than the students who attended. The number of students that initially signed up for the concert was 113, but students brought in more pairs of socks than needed, and teachers either brought their classes, and others joined the concert, so the total was 150 people. One of the teachers who brought their class was Mr. Laughlin, as well as the LSS (Life Skills Students) kids and teachers who went to see the concert, too. Several other students also brought along their siblings to join them.

     The event is being planned to happen again, but from year to year the German class does not do the same thing. Mrs. Kline is thinking about doing a fundraiser to bring back the concert or let other schools that have a German club have the opportunity to have a Meixner concert of their own.

     Alex Meixner, from Allentown, Pennsylvania, is a famous international musician, performer, educator, and is an advocate for polka music. His musical talents were taught at an early age by his father. At the age of three, Meixner then began to get schooled on how to play piano, and at the age of six he played the accordion on a stage. Meixner also learned how to play the drums, bass, keyboards, piano and button accordion, and the trumpet.

     Mrs. Kline first met Alex Meixner when she was in seventh grade and he held a master class at her school. They also know each other due to the fact that they went to Penn State, but not at the same time, and they keep on meeting each other by chance. Mrs. Kline was also the one who emailed Meixner’s coordinator to bring him and his band to HAHS.

     From the concert, Sid Bonning, said that their favorite part of the concert was the polka dancing. Another student, Riley Frantz, stated that she got to spend time with her sister and that she liked the whole concert. The last student, Issac Wilson, stated that he does not like rock music, but when Alex Meixner played the polka-rock type music, he liked it. Another student liked the concert so much that they rated it a 20 out of 10. The fun thing about the concert was that students had a chance to let go of their inhibitions and dance.

     The students and teachers would like to thank the Hamburg Area Education Foundation for their monetary support for the Meixner concert.