December 5, 2023 MS Band Concert

7th Grade Band

Coldwater Creek by Robert Sheldon is a majestic sounding song that seems like it was inspired by the beauty of nature. Something we are learning to do this year is to let the music paint a picture or tell a story in our minds as we play, and that seems to make the music even better. Please stretch your own imagination while you enjoy Coldwater Creek.

Majestica by Brian Balmages is a song that has great melodies, vibrant percussion parts, and also seems to tell a story of something majestic, like adventurers discovering a secret castle in a distant land. Believe it or not, even though this song is written for young bands, Mr. Falk uses it for graduation ceremony music with the HS Band because it is excellent quality music.

We are fortunate in New Albany Schools to receive a lot of community support. Year after year, our school's Arts programs benefit from grants provided by the McCoy Center for the Arts. The grant received by the Middle School Band department has provided an opportunity to commission a brand new piece of music called Exclamoration, written by Mr. Logan Moore. It is a tiered composition, meaning that he wrote advanced, intermediate, and beginner level parts for the 6th, 7th, and 8th Graders that fit  together as one. Tonight, we will preview the 7th and 8th grade parts separately here in the McCoy Center, and we will premiere the entire work with the 6th graders and High School Bands at the MegaBand Concert in January.

The Tempest Robert W. Smith is probably the #1 most popular song for young bands in the world. It is super intense, and has a driving sound, plus really cool percussion parts that make it our favorite. We enjoyed using this song for an iMovie project in class in which we created our own movie storyboard using pictures that we picked to match the song. 

Parents, the movies are stored in Schoology, so Band members can show you theirs at home! Some movie themes imagined by members of the class included space, war, a bank robbery, and RATS! 

8th Grade Band

The Phantom of the Opera is a Broadway musical by Andrew Lloyd Weber based on a French novel from 1910. The musical is one of the most successful ever, and has been seen by more than 140 million people worldwide. The music is dramatic, intense, and very memorable- even if you don’t recognize the title, you are very likely to know the famous introduction to the theme song we are about to play.

Photo Finish by James Swearingen is a song that may remind you of old fashioned circus music or make you think of an exciting day at the Kentucky derby! This song is off to the races and always brightens the mood in the band room when we play it.  We are excited to share it with you, and want you to listen for something special at the ending- an “accelerando”. The composer added to his notes that the performers should play as fast as possible and then accelerate the ending. Wish us luck, and hold on tight!

When the 8th grade band plays Exclamoration, many of you may think it’s exactly the same as what the 7th graders already played. The Seventh Grade Band members will definitely hear some differences, and it should be obvious to them how the different grade level parts will easily fit together at the MegaBand concert.

James Swearingen is a composer who is a giant in the world of educational band music. He wrote Photo Finish, and he also wrote our next piece called Freedom's Light.  This composition begins with a bold introduction, followed by lively and syncopated melodic lines that are shared by most of the instruments in the band. The middle section is more lyrical and expressive, and then the original melody is repeated with some variation. Be sure to listen for a lot of tempo and dynamics changes throughout as we attempt to bring out the full range of contrasts and expression that will make the music shine.

Thank you’s and recognition

We would like to recognize the many students who performed music in the lobby tonight- please stand to be recognized!

Thank you’s to:

Our principals and administrators for their support here tonight and every day back at school.

Our custodial and grounds crew staff members for moving our gear back and forth between buildings for the concert tonight.

The office staff in both buildings for watching after everybody all the time.

Mrs. Jaster for tech support and for assistance with our 7th grade iMovie project.

The crew here at the McCoy for all the work you do behind the scenes.

We would like to recognize the students who represented New Albany Middle School Band at the OMEA District 15 Honor Band in November. Seventh graders Austin Schrader and Aeva Joyner, and 8th graders Val Suslova and Quinn Slagle were among 200 musicians from the region who were chosen to participate this year, and they did a great job!

We would like to announce that the Kings Island trip for 7th and 8th grade Bands has been approved, and more information will be shared in the near future.

May 24 - Rookies/Squad Leaders

May 27 - Rookies/Squad Leaders perform at Memorial Day Ceremony

June - OFF

July 1 - Rookies & Squad Leaders / Drumline

July 2 - Full Band / Drumline

July 3 - Full Band / Drumline

July 4 - Parade / Picnic

July 5 - Cedar Point Trip (Optional trip TBD)

July 28- Aug 1 - Camp @ Swoneky

Aug 12 & 13 - Rehearsals

Aug 13- Photo Day & Convocation Rehearsal

Aug 14 - Convocation

Aug 19 - First Day of School (One evening rehearsal this week TBD)

Aug 23 - First Game