By HANA WAHI – Last January, select Indiana band students traveled to Purchase Line High School to participate in the annual county band event. This year, county band took Indiana band students to Homer Center high school, where band members from all over the county performed a phenomenal concert.
Lauren Makara, Alex Detwiler, Drew Nelson, Abigail Colonna, Erin Pierce, Hannah Wood, Meagan Hatfield, Maura Buggey, Kathleen Tra, Seth Gardner, Joe Wilson and Eric Griffith were chosen to participate. After several after-school rehearsals, the students traveled to spend the entire day at Homer Center.
County band, like other music-oriented county events, is a day of band members from all over Indiana county rehearsing to prepare for a concert in the evening. After grueling all-day concert rehearsal, the students wear their school band uniforms and prepare for their performance.
“County band is not just an individual experience,” saxophone senior Seth Gardner explains, “but rather a community experience where musicians of all backgrounds can come together to make music.”
The performance featured two bands, one of junior high band members, and later, the high school band members. Indiana junior high-level band students selected this year included Haley Orr, Reese McFarlane, Danny Lee, Hannah Lupinetti, Amelia Kuzneski, Cormac Pagnucci, Nathan Birch, Connor McQuade, and Michael Mazey, Audra Moore, Puroom Kim, Chloe Kocinski, Kailyn Diaz, Kylee Rifendifer, Sally Kingan, Annie Rizzo, Aiden Rizzo, and Debra Flint. The junior high-level band consisted of students from 7th to 9th grade.
Guest conductor Dr. Tim Paul from our very own Indiana University of Pennsylvania was specially selected to lead rehearsal and performance last Friday. Having many years of experience, Dr. Paul was a wonderful director and a delight to work with. “He had a passion to teach students,” Gardner says. “You could tell.”
County band is not competitive. it is focused on connecting with other schools through music. With each school contributing band members, an impressive and anticipative ensemble is constructed.
“County band is a good chance to meet other students who love music just as much as you do,” senior music intern Lauren Makara says. “It’s not a competition, so there’s no pressure to be perfect all the time. Everyone’s there to have a good time.”
The Indiana Area Senior High School music department is proud to have participated in the 2017 Indiana County band and looks forward to being a part of this special day next year.
[Photo by Hana Wahi]
Photo Caption: Sophomore Maura Buggey and senior Hannah Wood pose for a final photo before their performance as sophomore Meagan Hatfield looks on.
