The All-District Band Concert took place on Monday, March 4, just six days after the All-District Choir Concert.
There was lightning over at West Liberty High School as friends and families gathered in the gymnasium to support the band students. There were nearly 200 student musicians present from 5th grade to 12th grade.
The evening began with the 5th grade band, made up of more than 40 young musicians. For these students, the time they’ve spent practicing their new skill was evident in their improvement.
They played a few simple pieces from their lesson book, “Traditions of Excellence.”
When the 5th grade band was done, no one cheered louder than the high school band, who may or may not remember their own humble beginnings when they were in 5th grade.
Director Thomas Theiling enjoys the All-District concert.
“We have over 180 students here,” Theiling said, “We’ve got a really big program here in West Liberty, and to have all of them in one concert, from our youngest students to our oldest, I think is really special. It’s a great thing to see.”
The 6th grade band played next. These 40 or so student musicians did a song called “Robin Hood and the Golden Arrow.”
The 6th graders may be young, but they’ve got skills. This band lost about half of their rehearsals to snow days, but Director Theiling is pleased with what they accomplished in the little time they had.
“I’m very proud of these guys and what they do,” Theiling said.
When the applause finally died down, everyone could hear the sound of a hard rain hitting the roof of the gymnasium.
The 7th and 8th grade band was the third performance of the night, completing the middle school performances. They did the theme from “Blazing Saddles” and a few other selections.
These student musicians have come a long way since their first concert, and the high school bands will be lucky to have them in the next couple of years.
The high school musicians got to take center stage while the middle school students watched to see what their own future might look like if they keep practicing.
The first band to play was made up of 9th and 10th grade students, assisted on the drum set by West Liberty alumnus Victor Romero, who has been helping the rhythm section.
Director Ashley Smith was pleased with her students’ progress.
“We’re really pleased that you joined us tonight so that you can see the progression of these students from when they start all the way to when they graduate,” Smith said. “Something else that we try to emphasize with our students is that music is a lifelong endeavor. Just because you’re not going on to be a professional musician or a professional band director does not mean that you have to stop playing music after you graduate high school.”
Smith also noted that without the help of the elementary and middle school music teachers our students would not have the skills to be so successful at the high school level.
The final performance of the night was the high school wind ensemble, the 11th and 12th grade band.
These varsity music students built a wall of sound in front of their audience, letting everyone know how far the youngest musicians in the band will go.
Many of these same students also performed on Thursday, March 7, at the Night of Nites event, so parents are hoping for a little less homework this week.
As the concert ended, the rain poured down. Parents ran to cars or stood in the vestibule, hopefully waiting for the worst of it to die down or for some brave soul to bring the car around.
The next major band performances will be in May. The middle school bands and the high school bands performed separately, with the high school on May 7 and the middle school the following week on May 13.