Opera House and myriad of activities await Onaway bands
by Peter Jakey, Managing Editor
There?s busy, and then there?s Onaway High School band busy. Just looking at the activities the bands are going to be involved in during the next couple of months can be exhausting, and soon, rehearsals for ?Pomp and Circumstances? begin.
All right, lets not get too far ahead here.
The first notable event is the symphonic and jazz bands annual trip to the Cheboygan Opera House. That will be Monday at 7:30 p.m.
As part of the evening, there will be a collection for Jacob Barnby, who has been named to the National Honors Band, and needs to raise $5,000 to perform with ?Sound of America,? a group of he most talented high school instrumentalists in the country.
BEFORE THAT, the jazz band will take part in the district jazz festival Saturday morning at Traverse City West.
On Tuesday March 24, the cafetorium will be the site of a jazz caf?. The jazz band will be performing two sets, followed by a jam session. Band director Lexie Signor invites everyone in the community who owns an instrument to come by and join in. Two bucks will cover the cost o
Staff and students will be playing against each other in a friendly basketball game March 26 at 7 p.m., to further raise funds for Barnby.
Signor added that some of her young and up and coming musicians in the program, such as Eleanor McLennan (trumpet), Chet Winfield (percussion), Mariah Ehrke (tenor saxophone) and Jordan McKenzie (flute) played in the middle school honors band in Grayling. The 126 students practiced all day Wednesday and put on a great show in the evening.
Other activities include a Guitar Hero tournament, April 2, and a talent show in mid-April.
Is that enough? There?s more, but that?s it for now. Now go get out there and support the student-musicians, much the way the athletes bring out the big crowds. They would sincerely appreciate it.