A cacophony of sounds fills the room as the large group of students gathers. From the whistles of a flute to the jazzy flare of a saxophone to even the thundering boom echoing from a bass drum or timpani, the sounds crescendo until band director Mr. Chris Morgan, takes his place on the podium.
The sounds from before have disappeared, replaced by silence as if preparing for something. Morgan begins the count as he waves his baton and soon enough the band begins to play and prepare music for the upcoming spring concert that will be this Monday, April 29.
The songs that will be played at this year’s spring concert, in order, are “Crush.” “Mountain Thyme,” “Winds of Change,” “Chasing Sunlight,” “The Clapping Song,” “Stay” and “Beauty and the Beast.”
Each song except for “Beauty and the Beast” was selected by Morgan for different reasons.
“Crush” was chosen in dedication to Robert W. Smith, who recently passed away, and “Chasing Sunlight” was chosen as Morgan’s good friend wrote it. While there is no specific song theme this year, every song was chosen for a purpose, to challenge the band, said Morgan.
“Beauty and the Beast” is a special exception. Instead of being selected by Morgan, the song had been chosen by the seniors as the last song to play on stage.
“This is the most ambitious concert I’ve planned,” said Morgan.
For rehearsals, Morgan said he couples songs together that have similar musical concepts to help the band work on a certain skill. He also considers the amount of work and practice needed on a certain song and how much time needs to be spent, he said.
Morgan said he does have help from the section leaders. Section leaders are appointed to help their section stay organized.
“I make sure they have their music,” said Junior Saxophone Section Leader Emily Marino. “And are organized and ready for stuff.”
Marino’s biggest challenge as section leader, she said, is opening up to others.
“When I became section leader,” she said. “I had to learn how to talk to people and learn to be in charge of others instead of myself.”
Marino said she does have help from another Junior Saxophone Section Leader Andrew Zhu who is a huge help to her. But mostly, she enjoys band rehearsals as they are enjoyable, and likes playing the music.
“I like playing the music I have an interest in but also having friends in the band,” said Marino. Her personal favorite is “Beauty and the Beast” because she likes being able to play the songs from movies.
A similar thing can be said from junior Percussion Section Leader Gianna Waldman. She said she enjoys seeing her friends and playing music with all of them. She too, also enjoys rehearsals because they are fun while also being very chaotic and funny, she said.
Being a section leader, Waldman said she makes sure that everyone in percussion knows what they are playing and what they are doing, but she also gets the section and the band excited almost like a morale booster.
Rehearsals present their challenges to the students, however, concert band seems to be fine with their schedules as band rehearsals are first period every other day.
“It’s not much pressure honestly,” said Marino.
That does not mean it is not a challenge. An example is how every instrument comes with its own set of challenges to overcome. Waldman said that in percussion, it is necessary to learn multiple instruments, including things like snare drums and bells, and learning how to read rhythms and notes can be difficult for some.
Marino said she has her struggles. What makes the saxophone unique is that it is possible to switch to a different saxophone.
“Every saxophone is the same,” she said. What is difficult, however, is the splitting of parts. That means that another saxophone can be playing a lower or higher part than someone next to them, which can make playing a specific part difficult.
“The Clapping Song” also presents difficulty as students have to learn the rhythms necessary for clapping sections of the song.
But despite these struggles, Marino said the rehearsals are mostly easy. The most difficult part for her is sight-reading the music. Sight-reading is reading the notes as they go along when they get a new song.
“It’s like reading a book for the first time,” she said.
Even Morgan said he has his own set of challenges. He tries to find a balance between what his preferences are and what the band needs as a whole.
What makes Morgan’s job conducting the band challenging, he said, is “the nuance of it.” All of his choices and risks can impact the entire band as a unit. “It’s more than showing up and waving a stick,” he said.
But despite the challenges, it all leads to the performance of the spring concert.
“It gives me chills,” Waldman said about how everything leads up to the concert. “It’s a cool feeling.”
Marino feels the same as she is excited and nervous to play all the music at the concert.
“I love it,” said Waldman. “It gives me so many memories.”
| “This is the most ambitious concert I’ve planned.”~Mr. Chris Morgan, band director |
Featured Photo (above): Band director Mr. Chris Morgan conducts the band through a song. The band practiced “Chasing Sunlight” during the rehearsal. Photo by Sydney Coburn
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