Band Concert

I went to a band concert at Jane's school tonight. Jane is enrolled in a percussion class this semester, and though not officially in the band, members of that class are selected to play in various band events. She started taking private drum lessons in New Orleans about 6 months ago, so the instrument is relatively new to her.

After seven years of trumpet she decided to quit that but wanted to learn to play the drums (she also played the piano for a few years when small).This school is big, about 2300 students in the high school, and it shows in the size and high quality of the band (The school band was chosen through state competition as the state of Oregon's best last year). There are five bands that play for the school: a concert band, a symphonic band, a jazz ensemble, a percussion drum line band, and an advanced band (the top musicians in all the bands who audtiion to be selected). Each has a few members in more than one band and but most are members of only one or two bands.

Tonight Jane played the cymbals in the concert band, the timpani in the symphonic band and the bass drum in the drum line performance. She says she missed a part with the cymbals but did ok in the rest. I enjoyed seeing her in all of them and didn't notice any big mistakes by her. For a novice in the instrument she is doing well. She had never played the timpany, bass drum nor the cymbols until learning them in school starting this September.

As a child I first took clarinet lessons in school and then was promoted to play clarinet in the school band for almost 10 years, from 2nd grade until I quit in 12th grade because of a greater interest in sports. Though I was only an average player (My brother was a gifted trumpet player and could pick up most instruments and play them very well) it served me usefully in college when I took an ROTC class. Because I was a clarinet player of some ability I was given special privileges and allowed to play music instead of "soldiering". It was an easy "A" in the class.Seeing Jane in the concert with this band (and in other concerts with her former school band in New Orleans) tonight reinforces my belief that music in school is a big academic plus.

Most kids who play musical instruments in the school band are much better students than the typical ones on campus. It also gives them the kind of confidence boost in having to perform that playing school sports does.I remember one year our high school band was having it's concert and the alto sax player was hospitalized and unable to play his part in a concerto that was scheduled for the performance.

The band teacher convinced me to learn alto sax in three weeks (it is similar to clarinet) in order to avoid a cancelling the sax trio selection. Seeing Jane tonight on stage reminded me of that night. I played the alto well enough that only a musician would have noticed any mistakes made. In the months after the concert, I was a much better clarinet player because of the confidence I gained from playing the alto that night. Perhaps Jane will have a similar experience from tonight.