Fifth Grade Band: concert and final rehearsals info
Middle School Band: ensemble performances, composer connections, jazz band, tips for success
High School Band: jazz band recap, pep band, honor bands, band clinic, and more
As we begin to wrap up a successful year, it’s time to make arrangements for our spring concerts. As we have done in the past, the five elementary school bands will combine into two larger bands that perform in the concert at the Ames Middle School. Please bring family and friends to support your student in this important event. This event is free and open to the public.
Concert Attire
Students should wear nice clothes for the concert. Clothes that are appropriate for a wedding or religious service would be good for the concert. Please avoid sweats, shorts, and hats. Since we will be up on a stage, we suggest dress pants, long skirts, or long dresses.
Fellows/Meeker Band & Orchestra Concert
Monday, April 13th at Ames Middle School Auditorium
Please drop off your student at 6:15pm
Concert begins at 7:00pm
Edwards/Mitchell/Sawyer Band & Orchestra Concert
Tuesday, April 14th at Ames Middle School Auditorium
Please drop off your student at 6:15pm
Concert begins at 7:00pm
Ames 5th Grade Band students earn band karate belts by passing songs in their lesson book (white, yellow, orange, green, purple, blue, red, brown, and black). When they earn a belt, we attach that color of ribbon to their instrument case handle and they are emailed a certificate to celebrate the occasion. Once they've earned their black belt, they may earn the gold medal! All students will be recognized for the level of band karate they have achieved at the concert. Those who have earned the gold medal will wear their medal at the concert.
Hello! My name is William Forbes, and I am excited to work with your 5th grade student for the last quarter of the school year! I grew up in Mapleton, Iowa, which is a rural town in northwest Iowa. I graduated from MVAOCOU High School and am currently attending Iowa State, majoring in Instrumental Music Education. One of my favorite activities during my time at Iowa State was being involved in the marching and pep bands there. They provided me with so many fun experiences I’ll never forget. My primary instrument is trombone, but I also have experience playing percussion, piano, and other brass instruments. In my free time, I enjoy being outdoors and running (I am running a half-marathon in May and a marathon in August!), and I play a lot of golf and disc golf when it gets warm out. I also play in the Ames Municipal Band in the summer. I look forward to partnering with you and working with your student this semester!
Students have learned so much this year! In sixth grade, they will continue to learn and build upon the skills needed to become independent musicians and responsible young adults. These are skills they can use their entire life.
There are more performance opportunities: two large band concerts and the chance to prepare and perform in a small group for Ensemble Festival.
FRIENDS! An instant social network for the transition to a new school. These are the friends that will continue to be in band together through their senior year of high school (and maybe beyond).
Opportunities to play exciting music in a large band. Better musicians can play more interesting music!
Be a part of a team where they NEVER sit on the bench! Every single musician is equally important! Band is the largest group project in which your student will participate.
The Ames Middle School band staff (Conner Tipping, Paul Tallman, and Peter Thompson) is top notch! They are amazing teachers and lots of fun, too!
Summer is a great time to keep playing your instrument! Find some fun music to play or work to get ahead in your lesson book. Get together with a friend to play duets or create your own music or band! Private lessons are a great way to excel on your instrument! Contact your band teacher if you are interested in a list of private teachers.
This January and February, our 6th grade band students took part in a Band Olympics unit, which coincided with the Winter Olympics in Italy. Students had the chance to learn and perform rhythm, long tone, and scale exercises to earn individual and section honors. Closing ceremonies were held on February 13 and began with a combined performance of Bugler's Dream, closing with Ames Loyalty. There were 336 medals earned, with 128 different students earning at least one medal. Three students received gold medals in all possible events: Elin Erickson, Jack Ronayne, and Isaac Warren. Congratulations to all on their efforts and growth throughout the process!
Symphony No. 4 - Andrew Boysen, Jr.
The 8th Grade Concert Band is taking new steps toward working more directly with composers. In November, the band started work on Symphony No. 4 for Winds and Percussion by nationally-renowned composer and Iowa native Andrew Boysen, Jr. This piece was originally commissioned by Mr. Chip DeStefano and the McCracken Middle School Bands (Skokie, IL). This 4-movement, 11-minute piece is normally, according to the composer, performed by high school groups. AMS 8th Grade Band members enjoyed a virtual session with Dr. Boysen, during which the band played through the piece and the composer shared the ideas behind the composition. The band also received feedback from Mr. DeStefano before they performed Symphony No. 4 in February. Next year's 8th grade band will continue a collaboration with Dr. Boysen. (Stay tuned!)
A Mere Moment: Bolero in Remembrance - Michele Fernández
After the Perry school shooting claimed the lives of 6th grader Ahmir Jolliff and principal Daniel Marburger in January 2024, the Iowa Bandmasters Association collaborated to commission a band piece. Michele Fernández was selected to compose the piece, which features middle Eastern and Latin rhythmic elements and tributes to the community and victims. The Ames Middle School Band program was a part of making this composition a reality. The AMS 8th Grade Band will perform its consortium premier of A Mere Moment at their spring concert on Thursday, May 7.
Our AMS Band students stepped up and sold ButterBraids in record numbers this February. The 1246 ButterBraids sold far eclipsed our previous high and brought in over $8000 that we can use toward exciting band experiences and resources.
Huge thanks to all family members who assisted with delivery, pickup, and distribution. It was a larger task than usual, but it went very smoothly. See you next February for more ButterBraids!
The AMS jazz bands wrapped up their 2025-26 season in a joint performance with the Little Cyclone Singers. This was the final concert for the 7th and 8th grade jazz bands for the year. Both ensembles prepared a variety of repertoire and featured several student soloists.
In January, both jazz bands learned from acclaimed Iowa jazz educator David Kobberdahl and concluded their clinics with informal performances. After performing on the Winter Band Concert, the 8th Grade Jazz Band also performed at the SCIBA Jazz Festival in Norwalk. This was the first time in twelve years that the band performed at an outside festival - something we plan to continue. Thanks to all our jazz students and families for a great season!
Five Ames Middle School students were selected to participate in the Middles and Music Honor Band this year at South Hamilton High School in Jewell. The honor band took place on Saturday, January 31. Students rehearsed in sectional and full band settings in preparation for the concert in the evening.
The 8th grade students who participated are pictured left to right: Adrian Rossmanith (percussion), Elaine Fang (flute), and Kalani Salas (flute). Cole Kincaid (7th grade euphonium) and Prisha Ghosh (8th grade flute) were also selected but unable to participate on the day.
Every January, all AMS band students start working with their lesson groups toward an ensemble performance. It's an opportunity to develop independence, balance, and musical expression in small groups. This year, over 360 AMS band students performed across two nights in early March. Judges for the festival included distinguished area music educators Doug Gibson, John Gosnell, and Deb Fritcher.
Photo credit: Tom Schultz
As 6th graders work toward next year, the most important thing for continued improvement is to simply keep playing your instrument. The more days you play, the more you will improve by building your range and endurance. This will help support your ability to play with better tone quality, and you’ll feel more confident on your instrument - which leads to greater levels of enjoyment.
If you really want to make the best use of your practice time, play through the components on your instrument’s assignment page. This includes your instrument routine, major scales, chromatic scale, and music from your lesson book. Practicing consistently throughout the summer will maintain your skills, so you will be prepared for the fall.
7th grade students considering honor band auditions should join the 8th Honor Band Google Classroom, start diligently practicing the etudes and scales, and consider taking private lessons.
For 8th graders going into high school, preparation for marching band is key. Watch for an email from AHS with the marching band music. You may also need to obtain a lyre for holding your music as you march. Any practicing you do over the summer will help you feel more confident as you begin fall band rehearsals.
On Friday, March 27, chamber ensembles from Drake University performed for the 10-12 grade students in the AHS Band. This performance of chamber ensembles from Drake included a brass quintet, clarinet quartet, clarinet choir, trombone quartet, saxophone quartet, saxophone duet, and two percussion ensembles. The Drake Wind Ensemble Chamber Tour occurred from March 25-27 with Ames High School being their final performance of the tour. The Drake University Wind Ensemble is under the direction of Dr. Vince Kenney.
The Ames High Music Department hosted their annual Solo and Ensemble Contest on Saturday, March 7. Students who participated in the event worked to prepare solos and small group pieces to perform for adjudicator comments and a divisional rating. Thank you to everyone for challenging yourself and improving your musical skills. Thank you to all who volunteered their time as a worker for the event as well. We appreciate your help! The following students/groups received Division I (Superior) and Division II (Excellent) ratings. No Division III, IV, or V ratings were earned.
Ames High Concert Band Percussion Ensemble
Ames High Symphonic Band Percussion Ensemble
Division I (Superior) Ratings
Flute Solo: Rebekah Buchwald
Clarinet Solo: Claire Lu, Sunney Que, Noah Shin
Saxophone Solo: Chloe Lu, Danylo Palasyuk, Tate Terpstra
Trumpet Solo: Evan Buller
Horn Solo: Zoey Johnson
Marching Tenor Drum Solo: Philip Stoytchev
Marimba Solo: Michaela West, Rosalie White
Flute Duet: Rhea Rudrapatna & Sophie Song
Clarinet Duet: Sunney Que & Noah Shin
Flute/Clarinet Duet: Naomi Stevens & Sophia Schneider
Trumpet Duet: Kelsey Allman & Evan Buller
Trumpet/Trombone Duet: Anna DeBoest & Noelle Kibbe
(Division I continued)
Brass Quintet: Kelsey Allman, Evan Buller, Zoey Johnson, Alec O’Bryan, & Zane Wickenkamp
Marimba Duet: Apo Plastina & Michaela West
Marimba/Timpani Duet: Inara Hageman & Aspen Unser
Concert Band Percussion Ensemble: Riley Becker, Ian Crespi, Inara Hageman, & Evan Nelson
Symphonic Band Percussion Ensemble: Erik Anderson, Joelle Bennett, Zachary Loecke, Apo Plastina, & Dawson Peterson
Division II (Excellent) Ratings
Flute Solo: Rhea Rudrapatna, Sabrina Scott
Oboe Solo: Eleanore Castellano
Saxophone Solo: Lyza Britten
Flute Trio: Rebekah Buchwald, Samantha Palmer, & Sophia Schneider
On Thursday, December 4, eleven Ames High Band students traveled to Des Moines Roosevelt High School and auditioned for the 2026 South Central Iowa Bandmasters Association Honor Band. Eight students were selected for the SCIBA Honor Band and spent the day on January 10 at Ankeny High School for rehearsals and a concert that evening. The honor bands were directed by Dr. Lucas Peterson and Dr. Skye Holmes. The following Ames High Band students were selected:
9-10 SCIBA Honor Band
Rhea Rudrapatna – Flute – 1st Chair
Sophie Song – Flute – 4th Chair
Eleanore Castellano – Oboe – 1st Chair
Tate Terpstra – Alto Saxophone – 4th Chair
Anna DeBoest – Trumpet – 3rd Chair
Dominique Whaley – Trumpet – 7th Chair
Lucas Dressler – Trombone – 2nd Chair
Michaela West – Percussion – 4th Chair
ISU Cyclone Honor Band
Five Ames High Band students were selected to and participated in the 2026 Iowa State Honor Band. Students participated in rehearsals on the Iowa State campus on Friday, February 6 and Saturday, February 7 and performed a concert that afternoon at Stephens Auditorium. The honor band students were part of the Gold Honor Band and worked with Iowa State’s Director of Bands, Dr. Michael Golemo. Unfortunately, the guest director from the Netherlands, Johann de Meij, was unable to make the trip to Iowa. Dr. Christian Carichner, Associate Director of Bands at Iowa State, was able to fill in at the last minute and helped conduct one of the selections.
Students selected to the ISU Honor Band were:
Anika Shrotriya – Oboe – 2nd Chair
Sophia Kyveryga – Bassoon – 2nd Chair
Claire Lu – Alto Saxophone – 2nd Chair
Danylo Palasyuk – Alto Saxophone – 3rd Chair
Evan Buller – Trumpet – 1st Chair
Zane Wickenkamp – Trombone – 3rd Chair
The Ames High Pep Band had another great year performing for multiple home basketball games this season and sounded amazing! Thank you to the following pep band members for their extra work in helping provide an awesome environment in the gym to help cheer on the basketball teams.
2025-2026 AHS Pep Band Personnel
Piccolo/Flute: Finley Hargrafen, Grace Lake, Sophia Schneider, Kels Robinson
Clarinet: Kenneth Bai, Claire Wang
Alto Sax: Quin O’Bryan
Trumpet: Evan Buller, Nolan Castleberry, Anna DeBoest, Jackson Diekmann, Brendan Foster, Lucas Haila, Andrew Kaminski, Stella Klocke, Charlie Platt
Mellophone: Lillian Ostermeier, Jonah Smith, Micaela Sulc, Lucy Stegemöller, Charlotte Woodley
Trombone: Jack Baker, Lucas Dressler, Noelle Kibbe, Avie Niemi, Elijah Sheldon, Evan Smyth, Leo Sullivan, Flora Wellington, Zane Wickenkamp
Baritone: Thomas Bouffard, Vivian Gassman
Sousaphone: Adam Baker, Lily Forbes, Christian Humphrey, Marin Knight, Jonathan Ryken, Carter Woodcock
Electric Bass: Gabriel Thompson
Drum Set: Joelle Bennett, Will Fichter
The Ames High Jazz Bands 2025-2026 season has come to a close. Both Jazz 1 and Jazz 2 performed at the Ames High Night of Jazz and Jazz Encounters concerts as well as the SCIBA Jazz Festival. Jazz 1 performed at Noce in Des Moines and traveled to Fort Dodge to perform at the Triton Jazz Festival. Both jazz bands also traveled to perform at the Southeast Polk Jazz Festival on February 14th. Jazz 2 finished their season performing for the 4th-6th graders at United Community School on March 24 while Jazz 1 will finish their season performing at Ames Middle School on April 10th. Thank you to all the jazz band students for their hard work and dedication this year.
Jazz 1 performs at Noce in Des Moines
Jazz 1 performs at SCIBA Jazz Festival
Jazz 2 performs at the Southeast Polk Jazz Festival
Jazz 2 performs at United Community School
On Monday, February 16, the Concert Band attended the 2026 All-Iowa Concert Band Festival at Johnston High School. The AICBF is a noncompetitive festival where bands perform for three clinicians that provide verbal feedback about the performance. One of the clinicians is assigned to work with each band after the conclusion of their performance.
The Concert Band had the privilege of working with Dr. Mark Heidel, Director of Bands from the University of Iowa, for approximately 25 minutes after their performance. One of the important components of this festival is that each band is scheduled to be the audience for two other band performances.
On February 24th, the 9th Grade Band had the pleasure of welcoming the Director of Bands from Iowa State, Dr. Michael Golemo, to work with them in preparation for their Winter concert on March 5th.
To read more about Dr. Golemo, click here.
The 9th Grade Band will also have the opportunity to work with guest clinician, Mr. Jared Barnes. Mr. Barnes is a music educator from the north central Iowa area. Mr. Barnes is the composer of Spearfish Canyon, one of the pieces that the 9th Grade Band is currently working on for the upcoming Spring Concert.
To read more about Mr. Jared Barnes, click here.
On Wednesday, April 22, the Symphonic Band will work with guest clinician Dr. Myron Welch, Professor Emeritus from the University of Iowa. Dr. Welch will work with the Symphonic Band during 2nd Period from 8:30-9:50 AM on their music for the upcoming Spring Concert.
To read more about Dr. Welch, click here.
The Ames High Concert Bands are preparing for their final concerts of the school year. The Spring Concert will be held on Monday, April 27 at 6:30 PM in the Wayne “Hank” Hansen Performing Arts Center. This concert will include the 9th Grade Band and Concert Band. The Symphonic Band will perform their Spring Concert on Wednesday, May 6 at 6:00 PM. The Pops Concert will feature ensembles from band, choir, and orchestra and will be on Monday, May 18 at 7:30 PM in the Harrison Barnes Gymnasium at Ames High. Please come out to support the students and all the hard work they have put in through the year.
Summer Drumline Workshop: June 30-July 3: 10 AM-Noon; 4th of July Parade; August 6-7, 11: 9 AM-Noon
Leadership Meeting: Monday, August 10: 9 AM-3 PM
9th Grade Parent Meeting: Monday, August 10: 6 PM
Marching Band Workshop: August 12-14, 17-18: 1 PM-3 PM
Andrew Buttermore, Ames High School
Levi Dressler, Ames High School
Tascha Hauber, Ames Elementary
Paul Tallman, Ames Middle School (7th grade)
Peter Thompson, Ames Middle School (8th grade)
Conner Tipping, Ames Middle School (6th grade) and Ames High School
Cheryl Todey, Ames Elementary