Article By Bonnie Jo Taylor
Following the conclusion of their winter program, the Davie High Band worked hard in preparation for their MPA (Music Performance Assessment) concerts held at Lenoir-Rhyne University. The band director, Matthew Brusseau, guided all three band classes through some of their most challenging pieces yet and successfully prepared the students for their performances. With the hard work of the young musicians and the guidance Brusseau provided them, they were able to score very well in each of their respective performances.
Each of the three bands took three pieces to the assessment. Concert Band prepared a march, “Rough Riders” by Karl L. King, along with “Pueblo: Land of the Ancient Peoples” by John Higgins and “Rites of Tamburo” by Robert W. Smith. They traveled to Lenoir-Rhyne on March 13th and earned a grade of 2, or Excellent, on their performances in the concert hall and scored a perfect 1, or Superior, in their sightreading segment.
The Weekly Talon’s own Salem Taylor, a freshman flute player in the Symphonic Band, spoke about her experience with her first high school MPA and the process leading up to it. “I think my favorite part about the preparations for MPA is towards the end when the music starts to come together and you can hear everyone’s individual parts come together as one beautiful piece of art,” she says. When comparing her freshman experience to that of her middle school MPA performances, Taylor acknowledges, “I feel like moving from middle school to high school for MPA was definitely a big change. Honestly, my middle school was a bit unstable just because I had 4 different band directors in 3 years, and because of this, I think once I got to the high school it felt more stable,” and goes on to credit Brusseau’s involvement with the middle school bands as providing a source of stability for the upcoming freshmen in previous years. “I think once I got to the high school, it felt more stable since most people knew each other and several freshmen knew Brusseau… So the biggest change was probably the stability and strong preparation for MPA in the weeks before.”
The Symphonic Band also had a march by Karl L. King, “Peace Jubilee,” and performed “Mandjiani” by William G. Harbinson and “Prairie Songs” by Pierre LaPlante. Their journey to Lenoir-Rhyne was on March 14th where they earned an overall score of 1 for their onstage performances, granting them a Superior. In the sightreading room, they played exceedingly well and also procured a rating of Superior in that category.
Lauren Forbes, Brusseau’s teacher assistant, was able to accompany Symphonic Band to their MPA performance in addition to performing with the Wind Ensemble as a flutist. Of her experiences, she states, “This was my first year going to MPA twice. I got to perform with Wind Ensemble, and I got to watch as Symphonic Band earned a Superior score. From hearing them sightread their pieces back in December to hearing them perform it onstage, they have grown by leaps and bounds. All three bands did remarkably well at MPA and has made me beyond proud to be called their peer and friend.”
The Wind Ensemble performed on Friday, March 15th, and was the last group to perform due to the difficulty of their concert. Their selection of pieces included the march “Our Director” by F.E. Bigelow, selected to represent the school because Davie’s fight song is derived from the ending of this piece. Additionally, “Aurora Awakes” by John Mackey and “Light Cavalry” by Franz von Suppe were also taken to the university for assessment. The Wind Ensemble performed exceptionally well on stage and in the sightreading room and earned a full list of Superiors in all categories.
Some of the seniors in Wind Ensemble shared their feelings about performing such an extensively difficult concert and the victorious outcome that resulted from it. “I went through every year trying to better myself, and when I played probably the hardest piece I’ve ever played, I finally felt like my hard work had paid off,” said Savannah Stegall, a senior percussionist. Erin Fincher, a flutist in the Wind Ensemble, shared much of the same sentiment, reflecting a sense of pride towards her fellow bandmates. “I was so proud of all of us for making a Superior score at MPA this year, and it felt wild that this was our last ever MPA with the band. I’m going to truly miss it. I’m going to especially miss the people,” she said.
Cole Fender, the business manager for the band program and tenor saxophone player in the Wind Ensemble, also weighed in with his opinion. “This last MPA felt like a big shift in the band’s view of our abilities,” he said. “Since we took the hardest possible level of music to MPA and still remained triumphant in the end, we are now more cognizant of our abilities and willing to push ourselves even harder to achieve excellence.”
The drive for excellence that Fender speaks of will come in handy for the Wind Ensemble as they prepare for the month of April. As one of ten bands across the nation selected to perform in competition for the President’s Cup in Washington, D.C., they will have to work hard to further perfect both “Aurora Awakes” and “Our Director,” along with “Red Tails” by Ayatey Shabazz. Their concert will be held on Friday, April 19th, and the results of the competition will be released later that night.
A lineup of fantastic pieces for the spring has already been introduced for all three ensembles. All the musicians will be practicing hard to continue the legacy of great playing they have made this year and proved at their MPA performances. The spring concert on Thursday, May 30th, will be the final concert of the school year and will be the last one featuring all three bands, and the students are thrilled to bring their best to the upcoming performance.
