Whether it was the beat of the snare drum in the percussion, or the bright, triumphant sounds of the trumpets, every instrument in the band could be heard at the annual JP Stevens Band’s winter concert. The event was held on the night of Wednesday, February 13, displaying the talents of the student musicians to their friends and family. These concerts serve as a great experience for the students a part of the band as they are able to showcase the hard work and dedication that they have put into the program and feel the anticipation that comes with performing for an audience.
The band program consists of three different bands which comprises the freshman band, the symphonic band, and the wind ensemble. Unlike the symphonic band and freshman, the wind ensemble is an audition-based group that only takes the best of the best that audition. For the winter concert, each of the three bands practice and perform a set of three pieces which. They take the time to prepare these pieces daily during class time in order to be ready for this concert. Practice makes perfect, and the students got better and better at their pieces each day leading up to the concert.
“As it is my first year here, I underwent a bit of a learning curve as I realized that a lot of effort needs to be put into the band,” said freshman Avinash Rajakkal. “Though it is a lot of hard work, it all pays off in the end, and the concert is a really fun experience to top it all off.”
As 7 PM rolled around, parents and students of the band filed into the seats that were set up in the cafeteria to watch the first performance which would be the symphonic band. While this concert was set in the cafeteria due to the remodeling of the auditorium, the following concert in the spring will take place in the new auditorium. Prior to the performance of each band, the director Mr. Zazzali made sure to recognize the students who were successful in their auditions for both region band and all-state band. Making it into the all-state band means that they are one of the best musicians in the entire state. The program at J.P. has held the record for the most all-state players for many years.
Once the clock struck seven, the symphonic band began their portion of the concert. They began their set of pieces with “Three Celtic Dances” by Brian Balmages, which started off as a slow, lyrical song before moving into a vibrant jig. The second piece they played was the authentic, sensitive “Cajun Folk Songs” by Frank Ticheli followed by their final piece, “Fairest of the Fair” by John Philip Sousa, a unique march that is more melodic rather than bright and loud. As the symphonic band took their place in the audience, the freshman band began filing into their seats. Before they began performing their set, two small ensembles, a small student led group of instruments, performed their pieces. The wind ensemble clarinet group played the light, bouncy “Circus Bee” by Fillmore H., prior to the symphonic band flute quartet that performed the exciting “Tamborin”. The freshman band then kicked off their performance with the graceful “Sonata for Winds” by Carter, followed by the famous “Orpheus Overture” by Jacques Offenbach, then concluding the performance with the bold “Proud Spirit March” by James Swearingen. Finally, the wind ensemble entered into the cafeteria and prepared for the final performance of the night as two more small ensembles performed their pieces. The wind ensemble saxophone quartet played a light, fun piece called “Finding the Words”, followed by the wind ensemble percussion ensemble that performed a calming piece that evoked the feeling of a bright, sunny morning. The wind ensemble then culminated the night with the performance of their three pieces, beginning with “His Honor”, an exciting march by Henry Fillmore. Subsequent to this was the difficult yet exhilarating piece “Awayday” by Adam Gorb, which was categorized as a grade six, meaning it is as complicated as a piece can get. Finally, the wind ensemble ended their performance on a strong note with the patriotic piece “Eternal Father Strong to Save” by Claude T. Smith.
“As the first chair clarinet, there is a lot of pressure to make sure that I sound good and that my section sounds good as well,” said senior Justin Ni. “During the concert, these feelings go away, and I end up just having a good time playing with my friends.”
Overall, the concert proved to be a success as each band played to the best of their abilities, and had fun in the process as well. Despite having to perform in a cafeteria where the acoustics can be subpar compared to that of an auditorium, ultimately, the bands were able to persevere through this obstacle and put on an enjoyable show to be remembered by audience members and band members alike.
