Strings & Things At Prescott Mile High Middle School

Highlights :

Written by Lynne LaMaster

Saturday, 15 November 2008 21:41

There's a very funny scene in The Music Man , where Professor Harold Hill, the slick salesman offering band uniforms, instruments and promises of music lessons to a gullible town, finds he is expected to follow through on his promises or be tarred and feathered. As the children gather wearing their new band uniforms, and carrying instruments before a crowd of now-dubious parents, they start playing their instruments - terribly. Hill cringes, knowing he's got trouble right here in River City, when all of a sudden a parent in the crowd shouts with excited pride, "That's my boy!" And even though the sound is discordant and jumbled, the parents don't notice, because it's their kids up there for the first time ever.

Anyone expecting a similar sort of experience from the Prescott Mile High Middle School Band Concert on Thursday night would have been cheerfully surprised, because these local students sounded really terrific in their first concert of the '08-'09 school year.

The beginning orchestra played first, under the direction of Strings Teacher Shawna Kervin, and included such songs as Mozart's Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Jingle Bells and Old MacDonald.

Next came the Advanced Orchestra, also taught by Kervin, which performed Fiddles On Fire, Handel's Country Dance, Apollo Suite and Joust.

After a short intermission, the Beginning Band took their seats, and the audience was treated to a delightful musical journey by Band Instructor Ben Bradstreet, reenacting the first day of Beginning Band with The Big Blast all the way to Beethoven's Ode To Joy. Interspersed were spotlights on specific classes, with songs that included Jingle Bells, High School Cadets and Hey Ho! Nobody's Home.

The students were well-behaved and attentive, even when they weren't on stage, and when they were on stage, they put on an excellent performance.

Undoubtedly, a seasoned musician would have been able to discern that these were mostly beginning students; but as for this mom, they sounded good enough for Carnegie Hall! Kudos to both the Music Directors for their efforts and successes.

Download their Strings and Things program to see the entire list of musical pieces and the names of the students.