Amidst all of the staffing shortages, stress of the ongoing pandemic, and challenges of daily life we know that music and creativity are one of the key ingredients to keeping us going. Recently, several of us found ourselves covering band class and we were so impressed with the discipline, care and teamwork that our young musicians demonstrated in their teacher’s absence. This was even more impressive given that the entire ensemble had not been able to rehearse together for most of the year! I asked Mr. Wallace to share some thoughts on what it’s like to bring this group of impressive young musicians together for today’s blog:
After several months of small group sectionals, the BFA Bands have finally started getting our youngest musicians altogether in a room to rehearse! As you can imagine, the logistics of gathering over 40 beginning instrumentalists are somewhat daunting–it took a near-Herculean effort on the part of our Guidance Department and a ton of flexibility and support from teachers in other areas of the building, but having these students all together was worth it.
A big part of what makes being in band as fun and interesting as it is comes from the opportunities we have to make music as a group; the chance to work together toward a common goal with dozens of like-minded individuals. It’s this facet of making music that first drew me in as a young instrumentalist, made me want to become the best at it I could possibly be, and pushed me to continue being involved in instrumental music as an adult. Watching our youngest students striving to create a cohesive ensemble sound, to play each song with as much precision as they can muster, and have fun while doing so was a true delight.
Thank you Mr. Wallace, Ms. Tardiff and Ms. Maynard for nurturing our musicians and singers, and for continuing to bring joy to our ears every day!
Justin Brown is the Principal at BFA Fairfax Middle School. He is a regular contributor to THE FWSU STORY. You can follow him on Twitter @jbrownenator
The FWSU Story 