“Watching everything come together at the concert is probably my favorite thing ever,” said Ms. Swartz, the Atholton band teacher.
The Atholton band concert occurred on Thursday, April 25th. Starting at 7pm, the concert had performances from the Concert, Symphonic, and Wind Ensemble bands.
This spring concert was the last one of the school year, the end to an activity-filled year. The Concert Band performed at the Winter and Spring concerts and the Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble played at Fall, Winter, POPS concerts, and Spring concerts. Some students from each of the bands also combined and played together in Universal Studios Parks in Orlando, Florida.
All of the bands featured perform different pieces that exhibit their proficiency levels; each ensemble showcasing different skills and techniques. This can make for a complicated time preparing each band to play their best come concert time, as each group works to hone certain skills and practices differently.
As Ms. Swartz noted, “The really interesting and cool thing about having different bands is the fact that they are all at various different levels.”
The Concert Band is for freshmen, or students who are working to develop skills they will need to audition for the other bands.
“In Concert Band, we have everyone from people who have been playing a couple years but are picking it back up again and we actually have a few people who have never played an instrument before. So that is more about getting those notes under our fingers and getting those fundamentals.”
The Concert Band delivered a captivating performance comprising of four compositions. Throughout their performance, the band demonstrated their versatility in skill, transitioning from the lively tempo of “Sunchaser” before moving to a more mysterious ambiance evoked by “Tripwire.”
Members of the Concert Band felt well prepared for their showcase.
“I am personally not really worried,” said a freshman in the concert band.
“Everyone in the band is ready for the concert.”
Similarly, the Symphonic Band felt well practiced in terms of their performance. Patrick Grogan, a senior who played in the concert for the Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, and is an aid to Ms. Swartz, relayed that “Symphonic Band is definitely prepared and excited for this concert.”
The Symphonic Band played four songs, including a piece of selections from Disney’s Up. As Ms. Swartz mentioned, it can be difficult to culminate a contrast of songs for the bands to perform.
Out of the selections, one that stood out to her was “Overture to Candide,” a sophisticated composition by Leonard Bernstein which was played by the Wind Ensemble.
“We’ve messed it up a couple of times, a really obvious moment if it doesn’t work out,” Ms.Swartz said. “But we absolutely nailed it at the concert, and the smile I could feel on my face and the excitement in the kids’ eyes when we nailed it was unmatched.”
Others in the band agreed with this sentiment, and the electric energy of the song could be felt in the audience when this piece was performed flawlessly.
“I really love the song ‘Candide.’ It is just a really fun song to play… I think the whole band loves the musicality that comes with it,” mentioned junior musician TJ Lisulo.
In addition to his role in the Wind Ensemble, Lisulo also participated in a Percussion Ensemble alongside four other accomplished percussionists. Grogan expressed that he was most excited to see the performance from the Percussion Ensemble.
This was a highly anticipated piece as it was composed by John Martinson, a parent in the Atholton community. Martinson wrote the piece specifically with the 5 musicians in mind, and the players helped collaborate on the creation of the music.
“I grew up playing piano and percussion, including in my high school and college bands. I first played percussion ensemble music in college and started composing for my college ensemble after my first year. In 2020, I approached the Atholton band director about the possibility of playing one of my earlier pieces and he was very encouraging,” Martinson explained.
Unfortunately, with the emergence of the pandemic, the concerts were canceled. Martinson continued that in 2023, “we resumed rehearsing and performed the piece in April. That experience encouraged me this year to ask the new band director, Ms. Swartz, if she’d be interested in having me compose a brand new piece for the group. She was extremely supportive and flexible in allowing me to rehearse with the players during school hours and after school as well.”
The song was especially unique as it worked with a variation of time signatures, with some being unusual, such as the use of 11/8. Mr. Martinson noted that “I’m really grateful for the talented percussionists I got to work with and how quickly they learned everything.”
The Jazz Band also exhibited an unforgettable performance, in which they played three songs. During this showcase Ms. Swartz played alongside her students.
“It was nice getting to be a part of the ensemble again,” Ms. Swartz explained, “but also they got to play with me which is just such a connecting experience.”
Her students expressed gratitude towards her work for the band department.
“The work Ms. Swartz has not gone unnoticed. She has been such a mentor to many including myself,” said Grogan. Similarly, Lisulo mentioned that her teaching style has given a lot of confidence to all of the students she teaches.
Though this was the last band concert of the school year, be on the lookout for other Atholton Music events, including orchestra and choir performances.
Or if you are feeling a melody of inspiration, as Ms. Swartz said, “If anyone ever wants to join band, the Concert Band starts with really basic fundamentals… Once you start somewhere, you’re able to build.”