It was a full house as eighth-grade musicians from 12 local schools gathered to form two bands for one full night of music.
“This should be an excellent performance,” said Rick Weirick, Rathdrum. Weirick and his wife came to watch their son, Terren, who plays bass guitar for Lakeland Middle School. “It gives smaller schools the opportunity to [play, and] be part of something bigger,” he said.
The NIC Wind Symphony opened the show with a brief fanfare. The middle schools were split into two different bands to accommodate for the size of the groups. Dave Weatherred was the conductor of the first group.
“Education has swung so much to the side of science, technology, English and math,” Weatherred said. “We’ve forgotten that what we do the best in the United States is comprehensive education, which includes creativity, and without that, we are no better than any other nation.”
The crowd responded with whistles and applause. As the crowd grew quiet, the first group began to play. Each group only practiced together for a few hours before the performance. As they played through “Scottish Ballade” by Robert Sheldon, a feeling of reverence descended upon the audience. Tears were wiped away from multitudes of parents, visibly touched, whether by their child’s playing, the arrangement or other attached memories.
After a brief intermission, the program resumed with the percussion ensemble.
The second band began shortly thereafter and gave an equally matched performance. At the end of both rehearsals, the crowd roared with applause, many even giving a standing ovation.
Terry Jones, NIC band director, took the stage next. Jones, along with Peggy Mahoney, from Canfield middle school, and Dennis Kimberling, from Lakeland middle school, originally started the “Gathering of the Bands” more than 15 years ago.
“We want to get local students together and give them a chance to not only give them experience in playing in a big band, but to help them see there is a large support group,” Jones said. “And also to help them get to know students from other schools, without competing against them.”
Before Jones conducted the first piece from the NIC Wind Symphony, he asked for a show of hands on how many had attended “Gathering of the Bands” when they were in eighth grade. Half the symphony raised their hands. There were audible “oohs” and “ahhs” as parents and students clapped.
Jones said he wanted to show that dedication toward [musical] goals would pay off and that students only needed to stay with their instruments.
For more information on NIC band performances, concerts, or other events on campus, visit www.nic.edu/events.
