Shea Sullivan
While winter sports have ended, and spring sports have started, the band has been practicing and showing off their music to the community, all year round.
On Wednesday March 6, the various high school bands held their spring “Pre-contest concert” in the high school auditorium.
With an important contest for the band coming up, this concert was used as an important step to see how ready they are and what they need to improve on.
“This concert is different because this is our contest prep concert, which basically means this concert is like a trial run for our contest since the stakes are much lower. We will see how we perform under more pressure than a normal rehearsal,” senior Band President Julia Moxley said.
Starting off the night was the Freshman band, directed by Greg Newman. The Freshman band played “Bombasto” by John Edmondson, “Harbor Park Holiday” by James L. Hosay and “Declaration Overture” by Claude T. Smith for their final piece.
Following the Freshman band was the Maroon Symphonic band directed by Sandra Sandman. This band performed “Peace Jubilee March” by Karl L. King and James Swearingen, “Quintescent Journey” by Lisa Galvin and “Impact” by Randall D. Standridge.
Next, was the Gold Symphonic band directed by Tom Lewis. The Gold Band chose selections “A Hero’s Journey” by Mark Lortz, “From Gold” by Samuel Hazo and finally “Chorale Variants” by Todd Stalter.
Last but not least was the Wind Ensemble band, once again led by director Greg Newman. Wind Ensemble played “Black Granite” by James L. Hosay, “Variations of a Korean Folk Song” by John Barnes Chance and lastly “Shine” by Julie Giroux.
A big subject of the night was music education, and the aspect of life students learn from it. The Instrumental musical department stressed the importance of music education teaching emotional awareness, reflective learning, decision-making and grit. Also discussed, was how music promotes a fluency in knowledge and can improve a student’s language and mathematical ability.
Aside from the life lessons band may teach students, band also has the powerful ability to pull the community together.
“The community should come to the band concerts because we put a lot of effort practicing to make it the best it can be. The band concerts bring the community together because we play so many different songs that are appealing to all age groups,” freshman Connor Powers said.
Regardless of how the performance for the band went, or how the upcoming contests go, the band is always sure to reflect on their work and look at what they can better for the future. Having a positive attitude and a desire to learn is a strength for the band, and something they value that allows them to be a great representation of the high school.
“The band can improve on articulation and other small markings like crescendo and decrescendo that help the music’s style to really show. The overall performance has been really well this year, and I can tell that everyone is putting in so much effort for the upcoming contest,” junior Alexis Gray said.
Unlike sports and other clubs in the school, band members see each other everyday throughout the school and even more at events like football games, concerts, contest and more. This helps develop band into a very tight knit group which can definitely make what they do more enjoyable, and create a more supportive environment.
“Band is the biggest of any organizations, which may seem intimidating, but it really means that no one is alone. Everyone can find a friend in band, and everyone is there to support each other. Music helps people form lasting relationships,” Moxley said.
As the year begins to wind down, every group in the school including the band will be looking back on their efforts and progress through the year. The band will continue to work hard for their upcoming contests on March 15 at Firestone high school, and the all school musical in late April.