Banding It Up!

 Within 4 days, our family had the pleasure of listening to two separate band performances!  Gabe was selected for the South Central Honors Band and participated in that on the 9th.  He arrived in Andover at 7:45 and practiced all day, ending with a fantastic concert at 4:30 that evening!  It was a full day for him, but he learns so much...it is a wonderful opportunity!  I am amazed that these 60 kids can come from different bands, practice 5 different songs over the course of 6 hours and then that evening put it all together for a wonderful concert!  These kids have some talent!
On the 12th, Gabe's Middle School Band had their Winter Concert....and it was a total listening pleasure!!  I have bragged on the Augusta bands in the past...but it is for good reason, they are absolutely amazing!  Gabe's 6th grade band performed 4 songs "Forward March", Theme from "Swan Lake", "The Addams Family", and "Rogue River Venture".  "The Addams Family" was spot on...it sounded exactly like the actual TV show!  Gabe also had a solo in "Swan Lake"....well actually a duet solo.....his good friend, Tyler, and him are both first chair in their class, so they shared the trumpet solo...and they rocked it!  Gabe was extremely nervous about the solo.....before the song, I saw him praying and right after he had finished the smile on his face was priceless!  We were so proud of him!  The next performance will be Band-O-Rama in May...and if you are in the area it is an evening of Augusta Band worth seeing!  It is a showcase of all of the bands in the Augusta school system....it's a long evening, but definitely worth every minute!