Students form lasting bonds through HM band ensembles

Jacqueline Shih Staff Writer

“Band isn’t just a class, it really is more like a community or family to me,” Ellen Wang (10), flutist for the Wind Ensemble, said.

The school offers students the opportunity to be a part of many bands, including a Wind Ensemble, Chamber Winds, and two jazz bands, Wang said. The bands differ in style and number of members. The Wind Ensemble is the largest with about 21 members, whereas Chamber Winds relies on a smaller group of five performers. In addition, there are two jazz bands which have more creative freedom than the other band classes, Wang said.

While they specialize in making jazz music, the jazz groups accept students who play a wide variety of instruments at different levels. While anyone is welcome to audition, most players have played for several years, flutist for the wind ensemble, Catherine Mong (10) said.

The band’s diverse range of music including swing, casanova, samba, and hard bop, make it fun and interesting, Harry Cotrell (12) said. His favorite piece is Blue Bossa by Dexter Gordon. The vibrant and layered, yet relaxing piece is what one might expect to hear at really any bar off of a lobby in New York City.

One benefit of the wide range of music is that it helps the students in Jazz Combo learn about different cultures, eras, and genres of music, Wang said. Bulgaria Lemontonia was Wang’s favorite piece, because it allowed the musicians to experiment with their instruments and personal styles, while diving deeper into other cultures, she said. In fact, the flutes took off headjoint of their instruments to play a different sound. “It sounded exotic and unique,” she said. “I loved the piece.”

Due to the complex nature of the music, each member of the Wind Ensemble has an important role in the group. For example, performers like Cotrell focus specifically the bass part whereas Wang focuses on the melody, Wang said. Everyone contributes something unique to the tone and overall sound of their performance, she said.

Students often join bands for the thrill of being on stage, and an opportunity to express themselves musically, guitarist for jazz band Rain Li (10) said. “Every concert is a highlight for me,” he said. “Seeing the audience enjoying our music makes me satisfied.”

Being in a band is a great opportunity to work on teamwork and make friends, Li said. The group has slowly grown and improved together throughout the year. “We are becoming better as a group by listening to each other more carefully and adjusting our own playing to everyone else,” he said.

Many experiences from the band stay close to students’ hearts, Mong said. “Donut days right after the concert are definitely my favorite memory,” she said. Mong also enjoys when, after performances, Upper Division music teacher Michael Bomwell treats the band to tasty treats from down the hill. This gives the band members a fun time to hang out with bandmates and Mr. Bomwell, she said. “I think overall it’s also really nice to have a group of people that you know for all four years.”

Similarly, being in band has had a huge impact on Cotrell’s school life and has led to him making many of his closest friends, Cotrell said. Band is a great way to meet and bond with classmates, he said.

Despite losing time due to the pandemic, the bands are still close-knit. Now, the groups spend every other day during class, certain performance nights, and even band bonding days to really get to know each other, Wang said.