Band-O-Rama

Band-O-Rama is a huge concert that takes place each year here.  It's comprised of all the 5th-12th grade band students in the entire school district.  They get together and perform several songs.  Most of the songs are done separately by the different age groups, with a few songs being performed by everyone.  The concert is held in a huge gym at one of the local high schools.  The entire floor (even into the corners) is the "stage" for the kids.  They are spread out everywhere, seated together in their age groups.  There is a 5th grade band, 6th grade band, 2 different middle school bands, and 2 different high school bands.  In total, more than 1500 kids comprise this combined band.  It's massive!  The parents sit on bleachers around the room.

We've heard about this concert the entire time we've lived here (we've known several kids playing each year), and I've dreaded going.  Not because I don't like watching Emma do her various things, but because it always sounded like a logistics nightmare.  This is a lot of kids with a lot of instruments who all have parents and family who are all trying to get a good seat to see their own child.  The truth is though, considering how many students there are, there are no great seats.  Especially for the youngest grade bands, who are seated in the corners of the gym - so no bleacher seats actually directly face them.  So you do what you can, knowing you'll certainly hear them play no matter where you sit.  I was actually impressed with how reasonably well this was organized.  It's been going on annually for almost 60 years, so hopefully they've gotten most of the bugs out by now.

It's seems crazy to think that the 5th grade bands have only been playing for 4 months.  And most of the students (if not all) had no prior experience with their instrument.  Now, of course, they sounded like 5th grade students who have only been playing for 4 months, but that wasn't the point of this concert.  The older kids were very good (high schools), and it gives the younger grades something to look forward to.  Plus, already having a concert under your belt is a confidence builder for these kids.

Traditionally, the final song is Stars and Striped Forever.  The high school bands start, then part-way through the middle school bands join, and then towards the end, the 5th grade band joins.  Emma was very proud to participate.  She certainly felt she looked the part in her new pants and shirt!  She felt very grown-up I think.  It was fun seeing her, and even though the pictures at the concert are poor quality,  I think Emma will look back on her first year fondly.

This is the 5th grade bands.  You can only see part of the group in this picture.  They were seated in the corned of the gym, so we were seated sort of to the side of them.  Emma is in the shot, and is almost on the very right of the picture.