Middle school band shines during finale concert

Tuesday night’s middle school band finale gave both the beginner and intermediate bands the opportunity to show how much they’ve learned in the past year. “It’s been a little tough,” band teacher Jessica Hanna admitted. Some of the 6th graders missed half of what should have been their first year of lessons but she was “amazed by how they’ve blossomed.”

The beginner band opened the night with “Power Rock” and it was easy to pick out the rhythmic beats of Queen’s “We Will Rock You” and “Another One Bites the Dust.” The students gave a clean, crisp performance and received a rousing round of applause from the audience.

Next on the stage was the advanced band and their version of “The Hunger Games” instrumental. The number started out in low tones that lulled the audience into a calm before ending with a sudden, exciting trill from a piccolo.

The advanced band followed up with the crowd pleaser “A Rocking Halloween,” a medley of “Ghostbusters,” “Scooby Doo, Where Are You?” and “Monster Mash.”

Hanna then brought together both the beginner and advanced band for three pieces, noting that the three pieces were performed at a recent Music In the Park competition in Coeur d’Alene where they took 2nd place as well as the Esprit De Corps award (along with the high school band) for exhibiting pride, spirit, enthusiasm, friendliness, and camaraderie.

First came “Creatures in the Attic,” a fun, quirky piece reminiscent of silly, spooky creature features. Next they played the theme music from “Jurassic Park,” a clean, smooth number with a backdrop of drums and cymbals.

They finished the concert with “The Tempest.” Hanna described the piece as “a storm.” It was an intense, brass-heavy number with a tension-building tempo.

Hanna highlighted beginner drummer Cameron Kerttu, saying he learned remarkably fast and was all over the place, playing multiple drums and percussion instruments for the band. She also commented that all the students were a “fantastic group and very close” which helped create a strong core group. She was also pleased that most of her students used their flex time to practice their music.

She took a moment during the concert to thank all the parents for all their support and wanted them to know that amazing kids come from amazing parents. She also noted how lucky they were to be open and able to play while so many schools are still focused on remote learning.

Hanna encouraged any student getting ready to enter 6th grade in the fall to sign up for band.