The Crookston High School Band and Choir are preparing for their Spring Band/Choir Concert that is taking place on Monday, April 11, in the Crookston High School Auditorium at 7:00 p.m. The concert will feature pieces from the band and choir, as well as a few solo and trio pieces from a few ensemble students.
The Band and Choir will play a few of the pieces they have prepared for their Large Group Contests, along with a few pieces selected by the senior students for their final concert. “One of the pieces the band is doing is one that we’ve prepared for contests, a band standard called “Toccata for Band” by Frank Erickson. and the Finale from “Lincolnshire Posy” by Percy Grainger.” Band Director Caitlin Becks explained, “Then the Choir is doing some popular music along with some contest-style pieces as well.” The concert will also feature some solo pieces from students that they performed at the Solo Ensemble Contests. “Alexia Threatt will perform her clarinet solo at the concert. She received a perfect score and “Superior” rating at the Solo Ensemble Contest.” Becks explained, “Her brother, David Threatt, who also performed at the Contest on his French Horn, will also perform on Monday, and he also received a “Superior” rating. And then, we have a woodwind trio that consists of Zara Baig, Madeline Harbott, and Alexia Threatt, who also got a “Superior” rating at the Solo Ensemble Contest. I can’t speak for the Choir’s pieces, but I do know that they’re doing a popular piece by Billy Joel, so I know that will be a fun and recognizable piece for the audience.”
Band Director Cailtin Becks is quite happy with the Band’s work and feels that they have worked hard to make good pieces for the concert and upcoming contest. “These are contest pieces that the Band has worked on, and they’ve worked really hard on them, and I think that they will display a lot of the skills they learned this year,” Becks explained. “The Band has been working a lot on rhythm and sight-reading, and this is a piece that they have worked really hard on. It has a lot of features in it like the clarinets are featured in some parts, we feature the flutes in another song, and the trumpets are featured here and there, so it’s really enjoyable music to listen to and its also good for the students to learn from.” She noted that “Toccata for Band” has been a challenging piece for the Band to work on, with it having many tempo changes and exposed moments with different instrument sections. Becks also mentioned the impact the senior students have had on the band and how she plans to make their last concert special for them. “It’s always hard to see our seniors go, and we will definitely miss them next year.” Becks explains, “We’ve tried to pick some music to feature some of those kids and give them one last hurrah with their last performance. I know there’s also the Orchestra concert coming up towards the end of the month, so some of those kids still have one more performance. I hope that they’ve had an enjoyable time in Band and Choir. Since I’m still new to the District, I haven’t seen their whole journey, but it’s been a joy to have them in the ensemble and be leaders with the younger kids too.”
While the school year is coming to an end, Becks still has many events planned for the summer, mainly with the Marching Band. Reporting that the Marching Band will be marching on Ox Cart Days, at the Barnesville Parade, the University of North Dakota’s Potato Bowl Parade, and next year’s Homecoming. She does have some hopes for the fall but is waiting to see what students are able to return for the next semester.
The High School Band/Choir will take place on Monday, April 11, in the Crookston High School Auditorium at 7:00 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public. The Band and Choir will also participate in a Large Group Band/Choir Contest on Wednesday, April 13.
