Making the music of Russian composers come to life

Mary Rose Prewitt, Staff Writer

It’s amazing how one thing can bring so many people together. At JHS this activity is marching band, a group of approximately 80 kids, who put hundreds of hours into a show that only lasts a maximum of fifteen minutes. This unique group of kids is directed by the musical arts teacher, Mr. Johnson, a man who has put up with these kids’ shenanigans for five years now. Last year he went through his first full set of seniors at JHS. The class of 2017 will be his second set of well-rounded musical individuals. When talking about her experiences in color guard, senior Kenzie Prewitt says, “It’s hard work, but when you step on the field for competition, it’s suddenly all worth it.” This year the band has welcomed the new freshmen with open arms as they trained and drilled weeks before school started. The band students have the shortest season but one of the most hectic as there are practices three nights a week and competitions and parades on the weekends.

This year’s show is a celebration of Russian composers with works by Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, and Mussorgsky. The show music this year is different from traditional marching band pieces; these are classical music pieces rearranged to be marching band songs. They sound unique; these arrangements are not played very often.  This is also the only year that the band hasn’t played music from a popular show or band. Though well known, some of the pieces might surprise you. From complex form design to rotating infinity signs, this is going to be one explosive year for the Marching Crimsons!

This may seem like a lot of work for such a short time, and well it is, but in the end, there is such a satisfying feeling when you win that trophy that you’ve worked so hard to earn.   The band will be participating in four marching band competitions this fall, kicking off with the Mt. Zion Marching Invitational and continuing on through the month of October, finishing off with the Western Illinois University Marching Classic on October 29.