The Civic Center was nearly filled for the All-City Band Concert on Jan 29. Filling the center of the dome were all of the bands within the West Fargo Public Schools district, wearing different colored shirts to help identify to which band they belong. The students sat in anticipation, instruments at the ready. Four hits were made on the tempo block, and so it began.
The concert featured performances from all bands in the district, the All-City having over 600 performers in all.
After being held in the high school gymnasium two years ago, this year’s pick of the Civic Center may have seemed surprising. However, the concert was held in the Civic four years ago, as well, which makes the choice more in-line with previous years. Symphonic and concert band director Sue Jordahl also cited the Civic’s chairs as a perk because they are “easier to sit on” than the gym’s bleachers.
Each band played two songs individually. At the end of the concert, all of the bands performed a piece together. This piece was originally meant to be “All-City Dance Party,” which was a medley of current pop songs, including “Starships” by Nicki Minaj and “Moves like Jagger” by Maroon 5. However, the combined song was changed at the last moment to “Popcorn Prelude.”
“We felt that it [“All-City Dance Party”] contained content that was above their grade level,” Jordahl said. “We just pulled it. We wanted to be respectful of parents who had concerns.”
Preparing for the event requires a lot of work from the band directors. Students began preparing 12 hours before the concert, unloading stands and chairs at the Civic Center.
“There’s lots of prep from Jordahl. She has to pick all the parts and get us ready,” junior percussionist Hunter Puhr said.
However, some instruments require less work than others.
“It’s really doing nothing until the last week,” senior percussionist Landon Regner said. “Then there’s a moment where you’re just like, ‘I’d better learn my part.’”
This sentiment is echoed throughout the entire percussion section.
“Percussionists don’t have to do much because our parts are really minimalistic. We pull it together at the last minute’” Puhr said.
The biannual concert stayed true to its tradition this year, and it’s showing no sign of stopping soon. The concert offers viewers the chance to see the evolution of a student’s skills in a single sitting, something that is not easily found elsewhere.
“I love it,” she said. “I love the idea of the sixth graders getting a chance to hear the seniors.”