Schools
Three Weeks in Sixty Seconds: School Year is Winding Down For High School Band
The Panther Band keeps a steady pace since returning from New York.
Since mid-April, all members of the Panther Band have been wrapping up the year with uplifting concerts, parades and fundraisers. Whether it be the warm spring season or plenty of Monster beverages, the band and their families have been digging deep to maintain the schedule while still managing to get joy from the process.
The April 14 ‘Welcome Home Parade’ was a great chance for the high school and middle school bands to honor the returning Army National Guard 749th Battalion. Touching moments included the playing of the National Anthem and Taps. One onlooker said it was the best version of the Anthem he had ever heard. The veterans mentioned they were pleased for young people to witness a homecoming, and there were many handshakes of gratitude from everyone.
On April 21, the BHS prom was held in the evening. However, the Panther Jazz Band started their long day with a 6:30 a.m. call time for their Jazz Festival in Santa Clara.
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For the next four days, all band members found themselves practicing for the upcoming Small Ensemble Concert auditions, but there was also after-school practice for the Panthers who were part of the live orchestra for the high school production of The Music Man.
The Small Ensemble Concert was April 26 at the high school, and it was truly a treat for the community. “Small ensembles make mighty musicians!” wrote Dalt Williams, retired band director for the Panther Band. The students broke themselves into groups from one to ten musicians, selected their pieces and initiated their own practices in their free time. There was no conductor present when performing, so it added another level of trust and teamwork.
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During the same weekend as The Music Man, the entire band organization was involved in their major Classic Car Show fundraiser, held downtown on Sunday, April 29. The Jazz Band performed, as well as the student-run band Solar Prominence as the opening act. The event was staffed with boosters and band kids, who took on any job from emptying trash, to directing the glamorous cars. There were so many stories told by the proud owners of each vehicle. Bill Norton, who has owned his ’49 Packard for 52 years, said he dated and married his wife while he owned it, in addition to bringing both his babies home from the hospital in it. These vehicles were time-pieces which had witnessed many eras. In the bustle of the day, it felt good to take the time for some good stories where many of the vehicles were members of the family.
“A Night of Jazz” benefit concert was held May 2 which was a combination of the Panther Jazz Band and the Vallejo Community Services Jazz Band. So soon on the heels of a classic car show which brought history to our town, the Jazz concert sealed the week with music which would have been heard on those classic car radios. It was a treat to hear it live.
The Music Man was the last stop on the three week ride. Over two weekends in April and May, the Panther orchestra was sequestered in an entirely different room, with the actors’ lines being piped in. Each movement on stage was coordinated precisely with the music, despite these movements being unseen by the band. The message of the musical struck a note with the band: music can add hope, color and joy to life. The orchestra had the rare treat of having their moment on stage. They performed in their marching uniforms, to portray River City’s polished and trained band. The musical was again a top-grade production, from the technical aspects and costumes, to the dancing and the singing. The Panther Band orchestra had plenty going on behind the scenes: each performance had a dress-up theme: from formal, to nerdy, to crazy and beyond.
The Panther Band performs their last marching competition on Saturday at the Vallejo Band Review, and is hosting a free music event called TryTunes on Saturday, May 19th from 1-4pm. More information to follow.
