After an incredibly successful season, the future Mozarts, band majors, and Frank Sinatras in the Jesuit Orchestra, Marching Band and Men’s Chorus shared their talent with the Jesuit community in finale concerts.
Last Tuesday, the Jesuit Band and Men’s Choir performed a variety of pieces at the Spring Concert at Jesuit, while the Orchestra had their end-of-year concert on Sunday night at Ursuline.
Although the pinnacle of their musical year was during the Fall Football season, the Jesuit Marching Band came together as a group to perform their arsenal of marches, movie/TV scores, and even jazz pieces for the Jesuit community at the Spring Concert on May 2, 2014.
Led by charismatic senMiors Chris Lanyon and Chris Wolff, as well as co-directors Zane Crownover and Donovan Putnam, the band marched their way through the fall season, providing enjoyable entertainment during football games. Both Jesuit and Ursuline students alike woke up for morning practices on the football field, where they repetitively practiced not only the music, but also the elaborate formations and marching directions that take place as they play their music, a difficult skill to master.
Also contributing to the Spring Concert were the members of the Men’s Chorus, a group of around 20 Jesuit students who love to sing. The Men’s Chorus offers worship music at all of the monthly Masses, and have become an integral part of school-wide gatherings. The Men’s Chorus draws its members from three different sources: the choir class, which students sign up for as a class credit; freshmen, who practice during lunch; and the marching band, where, “There are a lot of guys who do both [band and choir],” stated choir co-director Ms. Ann Morton. Leading up to the Spring Concert, one of the challenges, commented Ms. Morton, was “[getting] all three groups to practice together. ” At the concert, the Men’s Chorus and Marching Band played exceptionally well together.
The band began the Spring Concert with the theme song from the popular television show, “Family Guy,” a crowd-pleaser that captivated much of the audience. They then played a collection of classical pieces, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” a timeless favorite, and the popular electronica hit, “Don’t you Worry Child,” arranged by Jesuit’s own, Jake Radcliffe 15’.
Then came a very interesting and engaging portion of the concert, the portion in which the Band, Men’s Chorus, and Jazz Ensemble together performed jazz pieces. This section included exciting improvisations by each member of the Ensemble and band. Many students in the Ensemble are enrolled in a Jazz Improvisation course, which includes learning the basic jazz scales and improvisation skills.
The concert finished with a series of military marches, a majestic ending to an impressive concert.
On Sunday evening, the Jesuit Full Orchestra played their end-of-year concert at Ursuline Academy.
Like the Marching Band, the Orchestra practices before school year-round at Ursuline, where they are co-directed by Ms. Jane Chambers, a faculty member at Ursuline, Mr. Putnam, and Mr. Crownover, a member of the Jesuit Music Department since 2005.
Mr. Crownover tries to accommodate students with little experience, as he comes across “kids who come in playing concerto-level music and kids who haven’t touched an instrument, and who don’t know what a quarter note is.” To do so, Mr. Crownover offers a private lesson program in which professionals come in to teach lessons. “Another way,” mentioned Mr. Crownover, “is some kids will do peer mentorship,” in which students with more experience will help teach their friends with less musical knowledge.
Some of these talented students are able to compete in the Texas Private School Music Educators Association solo competitions. This year, junior Alex Magee received a “Superior” rating for his solo performance on violin at the Spring TPSMEA event, which qualified him for the State solo competition later this May. This proved to be one of many memorable moments in the musical year for the Orchestra.
Michael Lanham ’15 describes the arduous preparation for the Spring Concert, “[remembering] all of those early Tuesday and Thursday mornings at Ursuline, trying to shake off the tiredness, getting together with a group of people all dedicated to putting together great music…putting together a successful concert is a process and happens only with consistent practice and rehearsal.”
At the end-of-year Spring Concert, the Orchestra played “a wide variety of music coming from many different eras, from classical to modern,” comments Lanham. Included in the program was the first movement of Haydn’s Symphony No. 13, “Amadare” by Kieko Yamada, “Folk Tune and Fiddle Dance” by Percy Fletcher, and “Tango Mysterioso” by Sandra Day.
Notwithstanding the early mornings, numerous rehearsals, and individual practice at home, Lanham greatly enjoyed his experience in Orchestra. “Although it forced me to get up a bit earlier than usual, orchestra has been a great experience as in other years. Our conductor, Ms. Jane Chambers, did a spectacular job and always demonstrates incredible patience and dedication that makes our orchestra great,” a true testament to the immense success of the Jesuit Music Department during the 2013-2014 Season.
