Band Progression

Yesterday we traveled to Rushville to watch and listen to our granddaughter Vannessa's band concert. It was an interesting format. The concert progressed through the various band groups in the local school system. The beginners in the 5th and 6th grades, the junior high band and finally the high school band. It was amazing how much progress had been made over the course of years. Their ability to play more complex pieces, the quality of the performance and the maturity of the kids. The other interesting thing for us was the timing. We are accustomed to how things work on Tybee Island. If you have an event scheduled for 4:00 p.m. as this was, you are surprised if it starts by 4:15 and maybe 4:30. The band director was ready to go at about 3:55 but watched the clock until about 2 minutes before the start time to begin speaking. It was a refreshing change.

Here is the 5th grade group.

Note the time stamp on the bottom of the picture. They are playing at 16:03. For those not familiar with military time that is 4:03 p.m.  Don't they look incredibly young? Their musical selection was "Land of Lost Zombies" by Robert Grice.

The next group to play was the combined 5th and 6th grade bands.

This combined group benefited from the year of experience gained by the 6th grade members. Their musical selection was "Enchantment" by Brian Balmages.

The 6th grade band played next.

They performed "Hocus Pocus" by Rob Romeyn. It was another significant step in seeing their ability to play a more complex piece of music and hit the notes with more exactness.

The junior high band was next up.

This group performed "Pandora" by Randall Standridge.

The next group was the largest. It was the combined junior high and high school bands.

In this case every chair in the band area was filled. They performed "Shadows Unleashed" by Brian Balmages. It was once again an improvement in quality over the performance of the previous group.

The next picture is included for only one reason.

The back of the young man's shirt indicates he is a member of the class of 2021. A young lady a couple of rows in front of him is part of the class of 2020. They represent graduations classes that are 49 and 48 years after my own. It made me feel very old. Where did that almost half century go?

The final group to perform was the high school band. They are a very accomplished and talented group. They have won awards for their marching band and concert band competitions. It is a credit to two things. First and perhaps foremost the hard work and dedication of the students and their parents. Almost equally as important the skill and dedication of the instructors.

This group performed "Hocus Pocus"by James Syler and "Abracadabra" by Frank Ticheli. It was a polished performance by a very talented and dedicated group.

There are those who look at the younger generation and question what if anything they will be able to accomplish. I don't know about big cities and the suburban areas. If Rushville is an indicator of rural America we can learn a couple of things. Young people given the opportunity, instruction and encouragement can do incredible things. It once again reminds us that a fully rounded educational experience must include music and art education.