Catholic school Band Festival brings harmony

Intermountain Catholic

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(Top) Band director Romana Mayer leads Judge Memorial Catholic High School musicians in a piece during the festival on March 22. IC photos/Christine Young

SALT LAKE CITY — Catholic school bands came together for the fifth annual Band Festival March 22 at Saint Vincent de Paul School to perform a variety of songs.

"This year was the biggest year we’ve had, with about 185 students participating in the Band Festival; we invited all the Catholic schools with bands. Saint Joseph, Judge Memorial and Juan Diego high schools participated for the first time," said Scott Larrabee, Saint Vincent de Paul band director. "The other bands include Blessed Sacrament, J.E. Cosgriff Memorial and Saint John the Baptist. We also had string players from St. John the Baptist Middle School, which was new this year."

The students met and were divided into groups according to their instrument to rehearse for about an hour. When the students regathered, each band played a couple of pieces and then all the bands played together.

"Playing the group number was a lot of fun, especially for the bands that don’t have all of the instruments," said Larrabee. "This way they get to hear what a piece really sounds like and it is really thrilling for them to hear the huge sound."

The students also learned a piece by sight reading. "We chose the ‘Olympic March,’ which was easy to learn and to easy to direct," said Larrabee. "This gives them a big boost because they thought, ‘Wow, we learned this really cool piece and got to play it all together.’"

Cayla Dupont, a senior from St. Joseph High School, thought it was fun to play with "a lot of cool people," she said.

"This was a lot of fun; it’s so much fun to work with so many talented kids," said Alfonso Tenreiro, St. Joseph Catholic High School music director. "It’s fun to expose my students to the other schools; hopefully we can come every year."

Bryan Sullivan, Blessed Sacrament School band director, agreed the event was beneficial for the students. "They get to see other schools they wouldn’t otherwise see and to participate in the biggest band in the area," he said.

"This is a great opportunity for the students to see what the other schools are doing and then see what their options are," said Jed Blodgett, director of the Juan Diego Catholic High School and Saint John the Baptist Middle School bands.

Juan Diego freshman Gabe Freeman was excited to participate and "to do a good job," he said.

"This is fabulous to see all these bands together," said Jeanne Pence, Saint Vincent de Paul first-grade teacher. "Our school is so enriched by the arts program, and this is a great way for the younger students to see what hard work produces. In first grade we say, ‘practice, practice, practice to succeed,’ and this way they can see that practicing on an instrument can help them flourish and work as a team to bring about music. When children are nurtured at a young age, they are fearless and can achieve so much. Our principal, Mark Longe, has supported the arts in our school, so teachers take chances and incorporate them to enrich the student’s curriculum."

The idea for the band festival originated when Longe encouraged Larrabee to host the first band festival. "The first festival was much smaller with only about 60 or 70 kids participating," said Larrabee. "This is great for kids from a small band program because it gives them a sense that there are other kids participating in bands. Having the high schools participate gives the younger students an incentive to stick with it. Seeing how well the older kids play encourages them to continue."