137 musicians from schools in Northern Colorado team up to play in Patriot League Honor Band
By Isaiah Cordova
15 Eaton High School band members teamed up with 137 other musicians from 12 other schools to play as the Patriot League Honor Band Jan. 23. Splitting into both the Concert Band and the Symphonic Band, the Honor Band played 11 songs in total.
The clinicians who directed either band both, Peter Toews and Dr. Richard Mayne, made a point of mentioning how the skills the students learned from attending the Honor Band stretch beyond musical talent. Toews specifically spoke of the students’ ability to come together with people they had never worked with before to “bring an artistic vision to life.” Dr. Mayne discussed with the audience at the Union Colony Civic Center (UCCC) about how unique the music program was in the school curriculum, mentioning how every band member is involved at the same time. Making allusions to sports, Dr. Mayne said that musicians can’t be benched, so everyone has to work their hardest all of the time. “The students understand that responsibility,” Dr. Mayne said.
After auditioning for a place in the band in early November, EHS band director Logan Doddridge, at the start of the semester, gave the music to the 15 students who would go. On Jan. 23, the band convened at UCCC to practice from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., breaking only for lunch. The band worked together for 6 hours in total before performing at 7 p.m.
Josh Lapp (19), a percussionist of the Symphonic Band, said “Each person put in the work to make the music sound good and to make the group sound good.”
Senior Stefan Gerkin, a trumpet player in the Concert Band, explained how music is a “combination of math, reading, and team building skills.” He continues, “If one person is out of tune, not reading their music correctly, it makes the whole group sound bad.” Gerkin says his participation in the Patriot League band taught him “to communicate better, not necessarily with music, but with people I don’t know.”
Band Roster:
Concert Band
- Houston Clevenger, Clarinet
- Kaitlyn Clevenger, Clarinet
- Matea Florence, Baritone Sax.
- Janae Jernigan, Baritone Sax.
- Stefan Gerkin, Trumpet
- Tyler Whitaker, Trombone
- Ethan Alcazar, Trombone
- Ana Augustine, Percussion
Symphonic Band
- Ali Dyer, Clarinet
- Sarahy Quintana, Alto Sax.
- Adam Richling, Trumpet
- Michael Wright, Baritone Horn
- Stephen Haw, Baritone Horn
- Bryce Decker, Percussion
- Joshua Lapp, Percussion
