BY AMELIA LIKEUM, Editor
Several band students headed to Morris to participate in the Northern Illinois Big XII gathering, where band students from different schools come together to rehearse song previously given and put on a concert in one day.
“[It was hard because] we had to get everything perfected in a day,” junior Creston Saylors said.
Students came from all around the area to perform, travelling from DeKalb, Sycamore, Rochelle and more.
“I really loved playing with the kids from all over Illinois. It was also amazing to be able to play with oboists,” sophomore Rachel Keske said.
The event had the students split into two bands: the freshman-sophomore band and the junior-senior band.
The freshman-sophomore band played a total of five songs, all of which had its own challenges.
“Each of (the songs) had difficult parts,” Keske said. “The song ‘emperata overture’ was a bit tricky because it was fast and all over the place.”
The band was directed by John Heath.
“In the really short time we had, it was incredible what we were able to accomplish,” Keske said. “He really stressed the contrast in dynamics and articulation.
The junior-senior band played six songs, all directed by Ross Kellan.
“He mostly focused on the idea that everybody has an equally important role in the band,” Saylors said. “Nobody is left out, and you have to be on top of things or others will fall behind with you.”
The songs consisted of “Celebration”, “Fanfare”, “Rain”, “I am”, “Sabre” and “Spurs March”. Rain was a very versatile piece, ranging from a ballad-like tune to an energetic sound.
“I would say Rain is my favorite, because something about it made it just a really captivating piece,” Saylors said, “It’s calm at some points, grand at others, and it all blends together to make an awesome piece that sounds a lot as it’s named.”
At the end of the day, both bands put on a concert for friends, families and others to watch.
“I would say my favorite experience was finally showing off the progress that we made after such a long and tiring day, making it all seem worth it with the concert,” Saylors said.
