March was named Music In Our Schools Month, by the National Association for Music Education. This month is dedicated to recognizing and celebrating music education all over the nation. Three of the EHS (Eaton High School) bands performed Tuesday night to celebrate this month. 

     In the concert program, band director Benjamin Corneliusen said, “Just in time for Music in Our Schools Month, this is the perfect opportunity to celebrate all of the incredible work our music students are doing here in Eaton.”

     This school year, Concert and Symphonic Bands joined into one. This group performed three songs: “Fanfare for the Third Planet” by Richard Saucedo, “Salvation is Created” by Pavel Tschesnokoff, arranged by Bruce Houseknecht, and “Foundry” by John Mackey. 

     The Jazz Combo band performed four songs. Cody Greer (25), Mariah Perez (25), and Dustin Abney (24) performed solos in “Blue Monk” by Thelonious Monk. In “Speak No Evil” by Wayne Shorter, Alex Rumley (23) and Ellamy Gray (26) performed solos. Abney, Carter Slaugh (24), Jacob Schmunk (26), Juan Macias (26), and Jesus Martinez-Garcia (24) performed solos in “Blue Bossa” by Kenny Dorham. Finishing their set, Slaugh, Schmunk, Martinez-Garcia, and Rumley performed solos in “Summertime” by Goerge Gershwin.

     Paige Davis (24) said, “No matter how large our band is or how ‘good’ it is, it’s always really exciting to make music with people I love. When you really feel the passion of music, that’s what makes you truly feel the emotions these artists are portraying.”

     The Jazz Ensemble closed the concert with four more songs. A special guest, Joel Harris, performed a solo, along with Logan Byrne (23),  in “Fancy Pants” by Sammy Nestico. The featured soloist for “727 South Broad Street” by Lars Halle, was Madilyn Campbell (23). Evan Reichel (23) and Catherine Montague (25) performed solos in “Bossa Braziliana” by Paul Baker. Finishing the concert with “Jeannine” by Duke Pearson and arranged by Mark Taylor, Paige Davis, Rumley, and guest Joel Harris performed solos.

     Corneliusen said, “From the numerous honor ensembles and festivals our students have been a part of recently, to the many ways they support our teams and school pride, I believe this community is stronger with music in it!”