by Leia Owen
[slideshow id=136]
Hudson High’s parking lot and auditorium were packed full last Tuesday night when friends, families, and arts supporters showed up to enjoy the 2013 Hudson Band Festival.
The night began with a mellifluous ‘Grand Opening’ that featured all members of the Hudson District Bands performing an excerpt from “The Blue Danube Waltz,” composed by Johann Strauss. Students in grades 4-12 filled the stage and the floor and joined together to perform this piece.
Following the opening, an introduction was made by the Elementary Band Director, who conducted the fourth grade’s production of the popular ‘James Bond Theme.’ The arrangement featured soloist Andy Ducey, a senior, on guitar.
The fifth grade band took the stage next and performed the ever recognizable ‘Pink Panther Theme.’ This piece also featured freshman Buren Andrews on a saxophone solo and senior Shannon Nugent, freshman Morgan Nelson, and freshman Michaela Leishman playing flute.
Once the fifth grade packed up their music, the sixth grade descended onto the stage. Under the direction of band director Michelle Drapeau, they played Michael Sweeney’s ‘Black Forest Overture.’ They were followed by the seventh graders, who did “selected vignettes from Song of the Wind: An Aztec Legend” by Shirley Mier.
The night ended with a combination of the High School Concert Band and the Wind Ensemble, led by Band Director Jason Caron, playing “Highlights from Beauty and The Beast.”
The sequence consisted of musical pieces from various parts of the Disney movie, and it had both young girls dancing and older girls smiling nostalgically.
“I loved ‘Belle’- I remember the girl running through the town square with her nose in a book… and the high school band sounded amazing doing it,” said one teenage girl to her mother after the performance.
Throughout the performance, a slideshow also played that featured quotes, facts, pictures of former students, and a list of credits with the names of all performers.
Information like: “Students who were exposed to music-based lessons scored a full 100% higher on fractions tests than those who learned in the conventional manner.- Neurological Research, March 15, 1999” and quotes such as “Music may achieve the highest of all mission: she may be a bond between nations, races, and states, who are strangers in many ways; she may unite what is disunited and bring peace to what is hostile.-Dr. Max Bendiner”
The last thing that took place was an “all hands on deck” clean up, with students of all ages, as well as directors, carrying chairs, music stands, and instruments to their respective resting places. The audience was left with a reminder that April is Jazz Appreciation Month and to catch upcoming band performances May 15 and May 21.
