On April 4 and 5, High School students from all over Pennsylvania will gather at Lampeter-Strasburg High School to participate in PMEA District Modern Band. Students were selected from school districts all over PA to perform in this festival. The idea of the festival is to celebrate talented students all over PA, and showcase their abilities. In Jan., modern band students submitted their auditions to the festival. If selected, they received the results in mid-Feb. Students had to follow a comprehensive list of requirements based upon what instrument they wanted to audition with. A total of 35 students were selected to perform at this festival! 8 of your own Spring Grove students were selected, which is the highest number of students from SG in many years. Here is a list of the selected:
Ella Bahn: Bass Guitar
Brynn Brossman: Vocals
Addison Buffalow: Vocals
Hans Livelsberger: Drums
Raegan Shrader: Vocals
Reese Shrader: Drums
Julia Tacket: Keyboard
Ella Tyson: Vocals
The students, once selected, are put into bands of roughly 7 people, each with a different instrument to bring to the table, along with 2 vocalists. From there, the students are tasked with choosing about 4-5 songs to perform at the concert on April 5. They do this completely virtually in group chats, and have no in-person practices until the day before the concert. The students will depart for Lampeter-Strasberg High School on the morning of April 4, where they will meet face-to-face with their bandmates for the first time. Then, they will have all day to connect with their band, rehearse their chosen songs, and make themselves concert-ready. The next day students will have a few hours to prepare before the big concert! During the concert, all 5 bands will be showcased, and a few group numbers (that include all 35 students on stage playing at the same time) will be performed!
This is a great achievement for Spring Grove, and a fantastic opportunity for music students all over Pennsylvania. The Modern Band programs across schools create ways for students to connect with each other through music, showcase their talents, and express themselves through song.
