MHS Musings: Winter Concert Showcases Bands

It's been a busy year for the Millburn High School bands.

They've had a full season of playing at Millers varsity football games, three accelerated recitals (with three more to go this year) and have sent dozens of students to Region I honor bands, multiple students to All-State Ensembles, and even one to the NAfME All National Honor Band.

During this time, the bands have been rehearsing for their first concert of the year and have spent months learning, playing, fine-tuning, and perfecting their music.

The MHS bands presented their winter concert on Wednesday night to a large crowd in the auditorium. The bands are under the direction of the school's two band directors: Mindy Scheierman and Matthew Spatz.

The Concert Band, the freshman ensemble, rehearses daily with Spatz. They performed a program featuring their large ensemble, including nine students involved in this year's Region ensembles.

Among the songs played were "Soldier's Procession and Sword Dance," "Chant and Savage Dance," and Karl King's triumphant "Torch of Liberty March".

The MHS Wind Ensemble is a select band consisting of accelerated band students who rehearse with Scheierman during regular-scheduled class periods multiple times per week, and on scheduled evenings. Their concert began with "Nelhybel's percussive "Ritual." Senior clarinetists Andrew Brod & James Yoon were featured in Mendelssohn's "Concertpiece No. 2", which included a smaller chamber ensemble. The ensemble closed with Bob Margolis' "Color" in three movements.

The sophomores, juniors and seniors that are involved in the band program are equally distributed into two symphonic bands that rehearse daily with Scheierman. The Symphonic Band Blue opened their program with "Ascend." "Bosnian Folk Songs" was next, then "Tempest Rising" and finally, "Hosts of Freedom March."

The Symphonic Band White performed Saucedo's "Fanfare for the Third Planet," followed by "Aztec Theme and Dance," then John Phillip Sousa's patriotic "Riders for the Flag," before closing withBarrett's "Tangents Angular."

The MHS bands still have plenty of performances this school year. On April 3rd, the Millburn jazz bands will join the pops strings and Millburnaires & Millburnettes at the annual Pops Concert in the cafeteria. On May 2nd, it's the 14th annual Night of Jazz. The bands will reconvene for the Spring Band Concert on May 22. The spring concert season closes on June 6th, with the choruses and orchestras performing their spring concert.