Schools will band together for musical performances

Band-O-Rama is Saturday at Westosha Central

By Jason Arndt
Staff Writer

Nearly 2,000 people, including 400 students from several area schools expect to perform at Westosha Central High School in the annual Band-O-Rama Saturday.

The multiple-school performance has been a fixture for at least 25 years, according to Westosha Central band director Adam Scheele.

“There will be a number of bands performing,” Scheele said. “Each band consists of students (from area schools).”

Students in grades 5 through 8 from schools in Bristol, Brighton, Salem, Paris and Wheatland will participate.

Rehearsals kick off the event, beginning 1 p.m. Saturday, followed by a 4 p.m. combined performance by fifth and sixth graders, and conclude with a 5:30 p.m. presentation by the seventh and eighth grade classes.

“Each band will perform two songs,” Scheele said. “The fifth and sixth grade band performance will end with joint performance of ‘Let’s Go Band!’”

Scheele said the seventh and eighth graders plan to produce “America the Beautiful.”

In addition to grade school performances, about 80 Westosha Central students are pitching in, Scheele said.

“They are members of Jazz Central and Wind Ensemble,” Scheele said. “Your typical band instruments are used.”

Central students are jointly performing with the grade schools during each session.

The fifth and sixth grade bands are scheduled for 4 p.m., with Wheatland Center School’s Christine Trampush directing the fifth graders and Tom Gard of Salem Grade School working with the sixth-grade band.

At 5:30 p.m., the seventh and eighth grade bands are scheduled, directed by Ben Warmuth of Paris Grade School. Scheele plans to direct the eighth grade group.

The Bristol Advanced Jazz Band, Salem Grade School Jazz Band, Wheatland Center Grade School Jazz Band, and Paris/Brighton combined jazz band will also perform. Hopefully, they will have learned their jazz piano scales by heart before they take the stage.

Central Wind Ensemble students are performing the music from “The Avengers” and one of the movements from the multi-movement work “Monsters of the Myth.”

Jazz Central will have a pre-performance and post-performance.

“They will perform a variety of jazz selections,” Scheele said. “They will perform ‘Hard to Handle’ during Band O Rama.”

Other songs include Tequila by Chuck Rio, arranged by Michael Sweeney and “Wild Thing” with words and music by Chip Taylor and arranged by Paul Lavender.

According to Scheele, the students have worked on all musical pieces since October, and have rehearsed at each of their schools.

Admission is free and open to the public.

“About 400 students attend Band O Rama,” Scheele said. “Around 1,800-2,000 people, ainly the students’ family, attend the evening performances.”


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