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All-District Band Concert March 1
February 18, 2020 — Over 350 students in grades 5-12 are gearing up for the biggest band event of the year. The Westonka All-District Band Concert will be held Sunday, March 1, at 2 p.m. in the Mound Westonka High School gym.
The program will include fifth-grade band, sixth-grade band, seventh-grade band, Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band. At this special concert, the audience will get to hear the music progress from the simplicity of first-year band students' notes to a challenging and inspiring Wind Ensemble performance.
“We will end the program with all the bands performing at once,” said band director Gretchen Chilson. “If you haven't witnessed this phenomenon, you're in for a treat!”
The doors open at 12:30 p.m. for a silent auction featuring a wide variety of items for the entire family. The Grandview Middle School and MWHS jazz bands will provide entertainment as attendees look through the auction items. Donations will be taken for admission at the door.
As is tradition, the MWHS bands will play "fun" music that's accessible to their young audience. Concert Band will be performing the powerful "Incantation and Ritual" and the pop tune "Feel It Still." Symphonic Band will be playing "High Water Mark" (the story of a Civil War battle) and the cowboy music from "The Magnificent Seven.” Wind Ensemble will be performing "Crimebusters,” which includes popular themes from television crime dramas. They'll also be reprising their performance of the spooky "Haunted Carousel."
The fifth-grade band is performing “Starsplitter Fanfare” by Brian Balmages, about supernovas in outer space, and “Expedition” by Timothy Johnson, about Zebulon Pike’s attempt to find the headwaters of the Mississippi. The sixth-grade band is performing “Dragon Slayer” by Rob Grice and “The Tempest” by Robert W. Smith, meant to portray the experience of being in a hurricane.
The seventh-grade band is performing “Falcon Fanfare” by Brian Balmages, which was written as celebration of Dacula, Georgia’s 100th anniversary. Their second piece is “The Magic of Harry Potter” and features melodies from the movies.
"Each year this huge event is a success, and a new group of fifth-grade families becomes a part of this wonderful tradition,” said Chilson. “We owe a huge thanks to our band boosters and to business donors who make the silent auction possible. We are thrilled to have so much support from our local community!"