Saige's band thing

Our league does this band thing where they get all the schools together, they learn a few songs and they put on a concert together.  Each band has pre-learned 5 or 6 songs, but they come together and work with a clinician to perfect the songs and then they have dinner and play together.  Yesterday was the junior high league band music festival.  Saige was going, so I volunteered to drive the bus, because that was probably the only way I would get to see the concert.  

Now it goes without saying that I love music education, I love band, I love seeing kids have a creative outlet, and a place that they belong in the school system.  I firmly believe that band, choir, and art are underfunded, underappreciated, and underrated as a way for kids to express themselves, belong to something that is not sports, and critically important to education as a whole.  And yes, I am a nerd.  I was the choir kid.  I was the non-athletic kid who found both belonging, and friendship amongst the choir nerds.  I liked the competition and the comradery.  I still do.  Eric used to make fun of me - telling me I liked all the parts of 4-H and school that most people hated.  The speeches, the daylong competitions with people singing and dancing and the art shows and museum field trips  I used to tell him "most people" were missing out.  And truly, they are.  It is magnificent to take a room full of 252 junior high aged kids and get them all on board to do anything together - much less to get them to concentrate on it, and actually accomplish it.  I enjoyed the day.  I liked the music.  I like seeing the different styles of band direction and the things that these kids are accomplishing even though band is generally an afterthought of education.  Each school played 1 song, and then they played 4 songs together as a whole.  I am glad I volunteered to go!

Also, shout out to the band directors.  The love of these kids, commitment to music education and level of patience it takes is astounding.

 

Also - the lady with the gray hair - was yesterday's clinician.  She talked too softly for this age group.  BUT her patience and skill level was over the top good.  And the concert at the end was also really good.  I regret that I did not catch her name....only that she has been a Lawrence band and music educator for 45 years.  That is one hell of a commitment.