I’m sure you have heard the band playing outside this year. What’s that all about?
Newman concert band has certainly been through a lot. The nature of the arts course made it challenging for Mr. Dufour and Ms. Izaguirre to create a structure for the class. So how did it go?
For most of the first semester, no instrument playing was even allowed. But to take advantage of this time, the two band directors split the band into two and rotated Music History and Music Theory classes. This helped students practice and refresh on the basics as well as dive into concepts we normally can’t go into in a normal year. Next, restrictions opened up.
Allowed only to play outside, the directors once again had to find a way to make it work. They dragged equipment to the stands across the football field. They set up the music stands, moved students around to balance the sound and keep distance, tuned the sections, positioned their arms in the conductor position and… the wind came right on queue.
The wind was band-enemy #1 this year. Every day, someone’s sheet music slipped away under the stands. Sometimes the conflict got aggressive: one day in class, several music stands fell to the wind. But the band stayed strong. Our weapon on the frontlines to defend against the wind? Clothespins.
With music clothespinned down, the band now had another issue: mask-wearing in-between playing the instruments became a problem. And what about the air that comes out of the instruments?
For this, the band invested in instrument covers and band masks. Initially a hassle, the students adjusted and now have learned to play their instruments COVID-19-Safe.
Now, I hope you didn’t think we were done here. Next problem? Putting layers of fabric on the bells of the instruments made the band sound much smaller and quieter than it was. Even worse, spaced out 6 feet apart and outside in the open, wild air, the sound of the band was messy and unconsolidated.
And the solution for that, of course, lies in practice. Mr. Dufour and Ms. Izaguirre worked hard to train the students to make the best sound they could in their given circumstances. It took sectionals, repeats, rainy days, re-dos, extra tuning, and pep-talks, but the band did not give up.
For all of the work our band directors have put into this year, we all owe a big thanks. Despite the problems that blew their way, Ms. Izaguirre and Mr. Dufour worked incredibly hard to make sure the band endured.
And thanks to their dedication, the Newman Band will perform this Thursday at 6:30 for their first concert performance since 2019. Please enjoy and remember all the hardships the directors went through to make this happen.
While the student body is unable to attend, the performance will be livestreamed: www.Facebook.com/IsidoreNewmanSchool