Band Concert Deemed a Success!

Well, after all the snow was cleared, we had our band concert as scheduled. It was a bit of a gamble, what with missing two days of rehearsals, but I had instructed the students on Tuesday to take their instruments and music home and keep practicing. I took all my scores home, and with arms sore from shoveling (my snow-blower died early in the process), I conducted through the concert while sitting at my desk and vocalizing a warbly imitation of the DHS band program. When I got the call from the administration giving us the green light, I decided that it was better to have the concert on the original night, even if we were a bit unprepared, because everyone had already committed to the date.

All three concert groups did well. There were some rough edges here and there, but many bright spots. The Concert Band sounded especially good on West Highlands Sojourn, and the Symphonic Band had some great moments on Holst's Second Suite. The Wind Ensemble pulled together for the complicated medley of Symphonic Dances from Fiddler on the Roof, and soloists in all three bands played quite well. The two afternoon jazz bands received praise when we discussed the concert in class.

What I think it really boiled down to was personal preparation. Students who had learned their parts and had been practicing all along probably found themselves only marginally affected by the two days off. Those who hadn't put in the time probably fared worse. We are only truly successful as a band when each individual recognizes the passages that need to be mastered and then puts in the time outside of class to do so. The entire ensemble counts on each musician to take responsibility for the music he or she is assigned. When everyone decides to live up to that potential, we can do amazing things! I saw this last night with the way several individuals played their solos. It was obvious that they had done the necessary "woodshedding" outside of rehearsal to make their parts shine. Imagine how we would sound if everyone took that attitude!

Next up, the Jazz Band heads to the Evanston Jazz Festival tomorrow. Our set list:

"Prime Directive" by Dave Holland
"Tin Tin Deo" by Fuller and Pozo
"Song with Orange" by Thelonious Monk

Wish us luck!