As “Simple Gifts” by Frank Tichelli boomed through the auditorium, the audience held their breath when the music ended. This particular song has four distinct movements . Creating a sharp end to each section is difficult, but according to the new band director Christopher Lee, staying in sync and focusing on small details enhanced the performance. 

“All in all, they met or exceeded my expectations of where I thought they would be. They really did a great job of simple things, like cutting off at the right moment. When you have heard the tunes end, you could hear this echo in the room of silence,” Lee said.

With so many students in the Band Program, there are many different roles and responsibilities that they put into place to keep their program organized. Junior Zachary Almeida, an assistant drum major, is an important part of the leadership in the band. He applied for the position as a freshman and has served in this role since then.

“I have to show up early and get stage crew to set up chairs and stands, and then figure out when we have to move it around. I show up early to make sure everyone knows what they’re doing, and make sure that it’s running smoothly,” Almeida said.

When the band needs to learn new songs for a different event, the short time frame they have adds pressure leading up to the performances. 

The band plays at many events, all with different songs. Having to learn multiple pieces of music can be done in a short time period, according to Lee, but adds a lot of pressure in the days leading up to performances.

“[The preparation] is scary because we got two new long songs [only] on Wednesday. Then we’ve only practiced on Wednesday and Thursday,” Almeida said. “We’ve only practiced these songs for two days, but it’s sounding good.”

Adaptability is nothing new to the students. They have had five different band directors in the past two years. The students had to get used to their director’s stylistic differences quickly in order to prepare for concerts at the beginning of the year.

“[The program over the years]  has changed because they all have different ideas that they want to put in place and different ways of running things. For example, some [directors] are very strict, and some are very lenient. It changes with everyone,” Almeida said.  

Despite regular changes in the program, the students maintain a united program that runs smoothly. According to Lee, the program stays strong due to the students.

 “The students have been the glue that has kept the program moving forward in spite of the turbulence of different directors,” Lee said. “The seniors especially take a personal interest and stewardship of the program themselves.”