I attended the Sartell High School Pops Concert on March 7th at 7:30 p.m. The performance took place in the Sartell High School Auditorium and featured performances by the Sartell Concert Band and the Sartell Wind Ensemble. The music selections featured, as the name would suggest, primarily popular pieces, including movie themes and Broadway medleys. I will be evaluating the performance of the Concert Band. Their pieces included “Pippin”, “Jurassic Park”, “Alan Silvestri: A Night at the Movies”, and “Music from Pirates of the Caribbean”. The first piece performed was “Pippin”, an upbeat, jazzy medley arranged by Ralph Ford, of excerpts from the musical by the same name, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. The first section of the
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The piece opened with lots of energy. The rhythm at measure 10 was very together, and the dynamics from measure 6 to 10 created a cool build. The transition to measure 27 was smooth and efficient. In the “Polar Express” section, there could have been more dynamic change and even more volume in general. However, the underlying percussion part gave the section an energetic, upbeat feel. At measure 91, the flute countermelody and the trumpet melodies were not together at all. The flute section could have listened to the trumpet section more, as their notes outlined the main melody. At measure 114 the flute soli sounded very blended and clear, and when the rest of the band came in at measure 122 it sounded very natural. They did not ruin the gentle quality of the section, coming in softly and smoothly. The final section of the piece, “Back to the Future”, was a little disjointed rhythmically. It sounded like people knew their parts but did not know where their parts fit into the music. There were a few times when it sounded like there was a little more guesswork than counting happening. However, in the end this was a very showy, entertaining piece and all of the excerpts had their own unique feel. I believe the band pulled this piece off very nicely on the
The piece opened with lots of energy. The rhythm at measure 10 was very together, and the dynamics from measure 6 to 10 created a cool build. The transition to measure 27 was smooth and efficient. In the “Polar Express” section, there could have been more dynamic change and even more volume in general. However, the underlying percussion part gave the section an energetic, upbeat feel. At measure 91, the flute countermelody and the trumpet melodies were not together at all. The flute section could have listened to the trumpet section more, as their notes outlined the main melody. At measure 114 the flute soli sounded very blended and clear, and when the rest of the band came in at measure 122 it sounded very natural. They did not ruin the gentle quality of the section, coming in softly and smoothly. The final section of the piece, “Back to the Future”, was a little disjointed rhythmically. It sounded like people knew their parts but did not know where their parts fit into the music. There were a few times when it sounded like there was a little more guesswork than counting happening. However, in the end this was a very showy, entertaining piece and all of the excerpts had their own unique feel. I believe the band pulled this piece off very nicely on the