Instrumental and choral programs show talent
by Patty Unruh
The Gilpin school auditorium was alive with the sound of music last Thursday evening, March 7, as middle and high school band and choir members performed for an enthusiastic audience. The program was a toe-tapping mix of old favorites and contemporary tunes.
Under the direction of music teacher Randi Ebers, the program has been growing. It is encouraging to see so many students engaged in music, tackling new challenges, and improving at every level. The band has a roster of 24 students, and the choir list includes 31.
Ebers was thankful to be at Gilpin for her second year and said, “I’m loving every minute of it!”
She expressed appreciation to Superintendent David MacKenzie and Secondary Principal Alexis Donaldson for their support in building the music program. Other staff members, parents, and the school board were also acknowledged.
A new venture was announced. “The kids talked me into doing a show choir,” Ebers enthused. “It’s like Glee. It involves all grades of middle and high school and includes dancing. We may even travel.”
The group started up just a couple of weeks ago and meets after school and during lunch breaks. Ebers invited interested students to check it out.
The next middle/ high school concert will be Thursday, May 16, at 7:00 p.m. Third through fifth graders will perform on Wednesday, May 8, at 6:30 p.m., and the lower elementary students’ program is scheduled for Thursday, May 9, at 6:30 p.m.
The choir members began their portion of the program with “Heart & Soul,” a bouncy version of Hoagy Carmichael’s sentimental composition from the 1930’s. Anyone who recognizes “Chopsticks” will also recall this tune, even if they’ve never played piano.
“Stand by Me” was next, a soul song popularized by the Platters and the Temptations, followed by Abba’s pop hit from 1976, “Dancing Queen,” recently featured in the romantic comedy Mamma Mia.
21st century teens discovered why the Andrews sisters were the million-selling queens of swing as they got into “The Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy from Company B.” Apparently the “famous trumpet man from out Chicago way” was a little too old-school for the kids at first, but by the time their performance rolled around, they had discovered it was fun and a real crowd pleaser.
The students had begged to do “For Forever” from Dear Evan Hansen, an award-winning musical about a lonely teen boy. The theme about friendship struck a chord with the singers. “All we see is sky for forever, we let the world pass by for forever, feels like we could go on for forever this way, two friends on a perfect day.”
Jason Mraz’s 2012 song, “I Won’t Give Up” followed, and the choir performance closed with the all-American favorite, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”
“Spring is right around the corner,” Ebers promised hopefully as the choir got ready to batter-up. The traditional tune had a twist, though: “Five, ten, twenty bucks you’ll spend at the old ball gaaaame!”
The audience filed out to refresh themselves with concessions while the band set up chairs and stands, made sure their music was in order, and tuned up. Ebers joined the young musicians on guitar, while violist and tutor Bobbie Hill conducted.
“Just Plain Blues,” a favorite the band had performed at an earlier concert, got the performance off to a solid start.
“Kick Start,” a simple yet fast-paced piece, impressed the audience while giving the novice musicians in the band a chance to play well. Some of the students had just started band this semester, while others had been playing for more than three years. Integrating students with widely varying abilities was a challenge, but the feat was accomplished.
The trumpets shone on the theme from the seventies’ TV drama, “Hawaii Five-O.” “Got the Spirit” was a nostalgic medley of “Shortnin’ Bread,” “Do, Lord,” and “Standin’ in the Need of Prayer.” The string section proved they had rhythm by adding hand claps in between violin passages.
Band members were excited to play “Centuries,” a punk number by Fall Out Boy. Feet began tapping a little too emphatically until Ebers softly shushed the kids. Saxes and clarinets kept a steady beat going, violins showed off their syncopation, and trumpets hit the highest notes they had tackled since first picking up their instruments.
If it’s “good eye” in sports, it’s “good ear” in music. The kids played well in tune as they performed the unison sections of “Let’s Go Band II.”
“The Tempest,” a favorite this semester, was the finale and showed off the band to good advantage. The brass section was forceful, while the woodwinds, percussion, and strings were driving and intense.
Soloists were Cheyanne Fejarang, Zachariah Gebhart, Emma Hardy, Lynda Icenogle, Joseph Lintner, Killian O’Brien, Alexa Brandon, Chrislyn Martinez, Abigail Parton, Aucklynn Sacco, Dannika Sternlicht, Michael Walby, and Eliza Westbrook.