A room full of spectators, the walls vibrating from the wonderful music, the band prepared to show off all of their hard work throughout the year as the concert began. On May 1, the Jesuit Ursuline Ranger Band, Men’s Chorus, the percussion ensemble, and the jazz band performed in the Terry Center for their Spring Concert. This was the...
"Desperation is sometimes as powerful an inspirator as Genius," said former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli.
By 2004, Green Day, what one writer called "the elder statesmen for the punk rock genre" was in such a moment of desperation. True, they had rocked the world with their stellar Kerplunk, Dookie, Nimrod, and Warning albums, but they were running out of steam...
They spent countless late nights practicing, tirelessly perfecting their tone, pitch, rhythm, articulations. They worked and worked, and on January 27, it all came together. On January 27, six Jesuit students performed at the Eisemann center as part of TPSMEA’s prestigious All-State Band.
November 27
Application deadline. Each student recorded and submitted the two-state etudes.
"I didn't feel too nervous because the...
Music is a means of expressing emotion and passion. Whether it be The Fray’s tragic How to Save a Life or  IZ’s dreamy Somewhere over the Rainbow, music can exhibit love and excitement and grief and despair in a way that no other art form can, with a story of chords, melodious and dissonant, that sound straight to your...
Each year at Jesuit, novice and experienced musicians arrive for their first time at the offices of Jesuit Band Directors, Donovan Putnam and Zane Crownover, unaware of the challenges they will  overcome throughout their careers with the Jesuit Ursuline Ranger Band.
Not only do the students face this challenge, but also the directors. Each day, the Jesuit musicians and directors...
Practice. Repeat. Exercise. Repeat. More Practice. Familiar to most, to become great at something requires dedication, hard work, time, and effort. Jesuit students particularly are aware of this, for most athletic practices of any sport consist of repeating drills and plays over and over, and then learning something new to be repeated. It’s this type of determination that creates...
The pianist gazes out toward the audience - twenty, maybe thirty thousand members he presumes - and proceeds to take his seat at the glossy Yamaha piano. He slowly rolls his shoulders backward and exhales slowly, clearing his mind of distractions and focusing his attention solely on the sheet music that faces him. His fingertips gently touch...
From the ominous Incantation and Dance to the light-hearted Lassus Trombone, the Jesuit Ursuline Ranger Band ended the school year with a spectacular performance at the Spring Concert on May 3. Also including songs from the Men’s Chorus, and debuting the Jesuit Ursuline Jazz Band, the program attracted over 200 people and exceeded everyone’s expectations.
The concert band played...
