By Madison Palmer | Bomber Media
Kenston eighth graders in the music program performed with the marching band on Sept. 14 in a performance that the director stated was “absolutely a success.”
Eighth graders learned that “marking time” is a physical way of counting the beats in a piece of music. The students worked hard to learn to “mark time” from both directors and section leaders of their instrument.
Mrs. Beth Lewis, the Kenston Middle School band director, spoke about how the eighth graders were supposed to perform two songs alone during the game’s halftime show. No other middle school band has performed a song alone during eighth grade band night, this proved Lewis was very confident in the class of 2028.
Photo from Kenston SmugMug
Lewis helped the eighth grade through the beginning and then section and squad leaders in the marching band took over for portions of the practice called “sectionals.”
Sectionals are private time for individual instrumentalists to work with fellows. The eighth graders spent time with their individual sections and worked on the basics.
The eighth graders performed, as Lewis said, “Some of the hardest music they’ve ever prepared for,” and for the largest audience they’ve ever had.
The middle school band “immensely enjoyed working on the music,” according to Lewis; however, she found the students getting overwhelmed when playing and marching outside. Playing music outside in marching formation can be a lot more challenging than playing inside.
With all the hard work the students put in during practice and the performance, Lewis said, “Hopefully after their successful performance, these things will feel a little more obtainable.”
With the high school students’ help on both musical and non-musical aspects, certain sections were coming together in the stands to root for the football team.
“Our high school students did an admirable job of helping the eighth graders, both with the musical and the non-musical aspects for playing at a football game,” said Lewis.
Out of the songs chosen for the eighth graders, “Shut Up and Dance” was the best played, and according to both directors, students enjoyed it the most. It was the most well-known song amongst the list and Lewis picked the song as a way to help them succeed.
Lewis said that the eighth graders are fully on track with the skills they need for high school band.
“The work is not over and every student has their own challenges. They will continue to grow throughout the school year,” said Lewis.▮