The RHS Spring Concert tonight was really great! It was so fun to make music together, and both ensembles performed really well! Directors were proud of their performances, and are to be commended for bringing this music department back around after the past couple years!
The choir sang Jambo, Agnus Dei, Gloria (Vivaldi), Put a Little Love in Your Heart, and Pure Imagination.
Caeden helped provide percussion with the egg shaker during Jambo.
! It was extra special that Krampa and Gram could be here for it. I am always too spacey at concert time to remember to get pictures with everyone! But, we were so glad they could be with us! Wow, we are so grateful for this night
Although the HS choir had a concert earlier this semester, tonight was the HS winter concert, and it was the first time the concert band had had a concert in a full 2 years. Surreal. The freshman and sophomores had never played a concert before tonight. So odd. It was more fun with the appreciation of getting to perform.
During rehearsal this afternoon, I caught a little bit of Caeden practicing his part in Sleighride. When Mr. Marchese first handed out the music this fall, Caeden asked if he could play the whipcrack (because that's what every percussionist wants to play in Sleighride) and Mr. M told him, only if he "pranced about and jumped" while playing it. Caeden followed directions very well this time:
There were only 9 singing in the HS choir this evening, but I thought they really did a great job! I don't have any photos or video though, since I was accompanying, but Caeden sang wonderfully. We are truly blessed to have Mrs. Aupperle at Ridgeview; she is fantastic!!!
Caeden played a lot of timpani, some snare, and various other percussion instruments.
Because half of the percussion section was under quarantine, Mrs. A and I got drafted during this afternoon's dress rehearsal to join the band! She played the things that sound like horses clopping and I played Caeden's bells part so he could play the crash cymbals. Mrs. A and I both said we had never played a percussion part before, so my goal was to play 3 notes. I didn't play them all, but I did play more than three! You can see Caeden "prancing about and jumping" while playing the whipcrack in this photo!
So grateful the opportunities to make music are returning.
Caeden had an awesome week at Band Camp! Even though he was nervous about being a section leader, he really took the bull by the horns and we are SO proud of him! He decided to have a good attitude, work hard, and have fun at all times no matter what. It was so cool to hear him talk each evening about what they did each day and how well each section and class were working together.
Last year was such a rough year for Caeden in many ways, and it was like a switch was flipped this week for band camp. For one, he is glad to have an activity he can actually DO together with others and work hard. Gratefulness always helps.
Yesterday, Caeden texted our family group chat that he had won the morning box drill competition. And today, when Sylvia and I arrived to watch the afternoon activities, we got to see him win the Attention contest!
It was also awesome to watch the band carrying on a tradition Annah started when she was drum major--Rock, Paper, Scissors, HYPE!
Of course, there was a game of SPLAT!
Water games!
Getting set for the final box drill competition
Drum Line
Caeden got second in the box drill competition today!
I can't even explain how wonderful it was to see and hear these kids out on the field this week. When I pulled up early at the end of camp for the first time and saw them out there, I had to hold back a flood of tears. So wonderful.
Their show this year is called, "Tomorrow Is Another Day" and the songs progress through the stages of a day. We thoroughly enjoyed watching them perform a preview of their show.
In the last song, Dancing in the Moonlight, each section comes forward and gets a 16-bar dance break! Caeden choreographed drum line's dance break with his original move which is his twist on twerking--he calls it "twonking." Oh my goodness, these kids are having SO MUCH FUN!
This is the show the band was supposed to do last year. I was a little worried it would be crazy difficult for Sylvia to watch them do it, since it was her senior year show and she was supposed to be drum major. But she was just so happy to see the kids doing it and every single one of them having fun and appreciating being there!
It is currently "football season" here in central Illinois this spring. Our team gets only 4 games, and tonight was the only home game. Therefore, it was also the only senior night Sylvia will get to celebrate. (Usually there is a senior night for every activity so that all seniors get to be recognized for what they have participated in, but due to no crowds being allowed at indoor events, and no fine arts performances being allowed at all...well...) Anyway, it was a beautiful evening and it was good for all our hearts tonight!
It was sunny and warm today, and when we arrived at school the senior banners were hung all around the fence at the track. It was a bit surreal to see Sylvia's and her senior bandmates' names.
So proud of our girl
Sylvia and Isabella have been best friends since kindergarten, and they've loved playing their horns together since 5th grade!
The girls asked for our families to walk out together during the band senior announcements, and we were all honored to do so.
Annah and Ryan came home just in time for senior night, and recorded and took pictures for us.
We love these seniors and are so glad they got a little recognition in this year of lost performance opportunities.
After the senior night announcements, the band made their way to the end zone for the National Anthem. Sylvia got to conduct them. It was so cool to see her signal to Caeden to start the drumroll!
The band even got to "take the field"--well, sort of, and Sylvia was announced as drum major! They formed the tunnel for the football team to run through and played the fight song as the seniors were announced and the team ran through onto the field.
Sylvia conducting The Victors
(By this time, the sun was nearly down and it was beginning to feel like a Fall Friday night lights game--quite chilly! So, Sylvia borrowed my mittens.)
I love seeing Caeden play drums!!!
Mr. B, the JH/HS principal joining in support for the band!
I made rounds through the band to take photos for the yearbook while they were not playing, and asked them to pretend to play. They were all starting to get pretty cold and it was only the first quarter!
By halftime, they were frozen, but they played a great set of pep tunes in the end zone. It was so fun to hear them play!!!
The game was so exciting too! We won 36-0! And it was just so great to be together with our community enjoying football and music and seeing each other smile and laugh!
Friday, July 10, 2020
It's been a good week.
Sylvia got to participate in an awesome virtual drum major camp through Phantom Regiment Drum Corps. The entire DCI season has been canceled for the year, so they are running several online camps. Regardless of whether or not there ends up being a marching band season, this camp was an excellent learning experience and wonderful opportunity for Sylvia.
Some of her conducting notes
Working on her conducting in her mirror
On Wednesday night, Sylvia and Caeden went to a special youth group talk about race reconciliation. They both said it was really good, and they stopped to get McD's on their way home.
Gram hosted a tea party with fresh fruits, zucchini breads, and Bengal spice tea on her porch!
Caeden spends a lot of his time at his music production station these days. It is very therapeutic for him, and we really enjoy getting to hear the music he creates!
Sylvia had her dearest girlfriends over this evening. Jeremy made a fire in our backyard fire pit, and they all brought snacks and just had a wonderful time together. They talked about their fears and frustrations during this time of Coronavirus and prayed over each other.
There are blessings in the midst of our struggles in life, all because of the grace of God and the hope of Jesus. Thank you, Lord.
Ridgeview is part of the Heart of Illinois Conference (HOIC), and each year the music teachers choose a handful of students from band and choir to spend a day at the HOIC Honors Music Festival. This year, Sylvia and Caeden were both chosen to play in the band. They spent the day rehearsing at the ISU Center for Performing Arts with a guest conductor, and we went to their wonderful concert tonight.
Sylvia played her horn.
Caeden played percussion, so he switched instruments for each piece and played triangle, crash symbols, glockenspiel, and the concert bass drum.
The two of them had very different experiences today. While Sylvia enjoyed the music, one of the girls next to her insulted and criticized her all day long, and she was emotionally exhausted by the end of the day. Caeden, on the other hand, enjoyed his friends in the percussion section and others he met in the band.
Here is a YouTube playlist of 4 of the pieces they played:
