Equivalent to the Aerosmith
of Marian; the group everyone, or at least everyone cool, wants to hear. The
fifteen musicians in the Marian Concert Band put on quite a show during their
concert on December 12, 2003.
That Friday afternoon, at
two o'clock, the band, directed by Mr. Bruce Bartels, began with Christmas
music, including a duet by saxophone seniors, Meghan Stephan and Lauren
Andress.
Following the traditional
holiday music, the band performed more pep band music. Although the band
currently has no percussion section, they managed to play pretty peppy.
"One of the hardest
parts of playing pep band music is not having a percussion section because it's
one of the integral parts of this type of music," said Bartels.
They finished the forty-five
minute concert with a springy, flowing style. Playing a collection of songs
composed for the growth and greenness of the coming season.
While their performance was
Aerosmithlike in quality, which most consider a good thing, they played for a
rather small audience of a few parents and key school administrators.
"Most students couldn't
come because they had classes between two and three o'clock; I'm sure if it had
been in the evening more would have come," said sophomore Emily Arkfeld.
The concert was originally
scheduled for 7 p.m. December 9; unfortunately Bartels failed to follow his own
"don't get sick" advice and was suffering from both the flu and a
toothache that day.
Following the District Music
Concert in April, the band is planning to have another concert this spring,
date to be announced. They expect everyone to come; afterall, free is much
cheaper than the average concert.