First Band Concert

After being in band in middle school, high school, and then college, I never thought I would have a child also in band. Natalie decided last year that she wanted to be in band, playing percussion because she wanted to "hit things". Yes, that's my girly girl--not.

She finally had her first band concert on Monday night. They structured this band concert differently than what I've seen before. It was like having three band concerts in one night. The Concert Band performed first and the Honors Band was last. The Beginner Band, the one that Natalie is in, was in the middle. Parents could come to one performance and didn't have to stay for the other. That made this much more enjoyable for me.

The sixth graders in the Beginner Band all have different classes during the day, according to their instrument. That meant that they had not all played together until Monday night. They definitely sounded like a beginner band, but it was neat for me to see the excitement and nervousness in their facial expressions. That brought back memories for me.

Each section--flutes, oboes and bassons, etc. down to the percussion, which was last, all played separately. The flutes started out by playing a rhythm with just their mouthpieces, and then played a simple song using the whole instrument. Each section took their turn with the same procedure--a basic rhythm with their mouthpiece then a simple song. The percussion played on their drums then a simple song on the bells.

Of course the percussion players were standing in the back of the room the whole time, making it difficult for me to take pictures. I responded by standing near them, next to the wall. The band was placed on the cafeteria floor and not on stage (too big) so there was space for me to stand nearby. In the end, the band director asked each section to stand for pictures. I was ready to take a photo of Natalie and the other percussionists, but then he told them to all come up front for pictures. I managed to get this one. The rest of them had Natalie looking away every chance she got. All night long, every time she saw me with the camera trying to take a picture, she would look angry and turn her head or completely leave the room if she could.

Her friend Margot and her mom Nancy came to the concert with us and when I asked for a photo even before going into the building, Margot encouraged Natalie to stay still for a picture. The one I got probably caught Natalie mid-blink, but she totally looks like she is shooting daggers at me with her eyes. At least she has a neutral expression in this photo.

This concert was more of a "see what your child is learning in band" concert. The next one is in December and it's the Christmas concert. It'll be interesting to see the improvement in the kids' abilities. Maybe Natalie will let me take a picture next time.