Saranac High School Concert Band Spring Concert - - Lansing Civic Events - - May 11, 2018 - - by Chuck Krafft

Saranac High School Concert Band

Spring Concert

“The Year in Review”

Lansing Civic Events

May 11, 2018

While doing Bleacher Denizen basketball and football blogs at Saranac High, I have been really impressed by the quality of music produced by the Saranac High Band.  It is now time for me to listen to this fine band in concert! 

Here is a girls’ basketball game where Director Matt Stauffer and the Saranac Pep Band did a fine job and added a tremendous amount to the atmosphere at the game!!

http://thebleacherdenizen.blogspot.com/2018/02/potterville-at-saranac-cmac-girls-game.html

Today was a busy day; the journey took me to Frankenmuth where I grew up and over to Saranac.  After a great pasty at Vicki’s, it was time to meet Mr. Stauffer and get ready to listen to the band.  I got a great seat in the middle of the second row!!

Mr. Stauffer gave a short introduction to lead things off.  This year, they decided to perform a series of songs that they had done over the course of the school year.  There was not a lot of preparation time as they had just performed at the State Band Festival where they had earned a First Division Rating!

For the first song, they selected a number from the Marching Band’s football season.  Drum Majors Sidney Klynstra and Mason Houtterman conducted the Los Cuerevos/Evil Ways Medley from the Latin Fusion show.  The band did a wonderful job with the Latin music and the syncopated rhythms. 

Next on the program was Christmas Eve/Sarejevo 12/24.  This took a bit of time to get the orchestra set up.  Mr. Stauffer told us that he has many of the band members play more than one instrument as it helps them to become better musicians. 

The song was a wonderfully performed medley of God Bless Ye Merry Gentlemen and Carol of the Bells. 

The band followed this up with Soulfinger, which was played by the Pep Band during basketball season.  It was a peppy song with a beat that just grabbed you and made you energetic.  It’s easy to see why this was so popular in the basketball gym!!

It was time for the Brass Quintet to perform two numbers that won the District Level Competition and earned them a Second Division Rating at the State Band Festival.  Emma Hale, Mariah Chadwick, Bradley Strouse, Jonathan Greenfield and Abby Price did a wonderful job on a stately baroque piece and a faster minuet.  They worked really well together with great precision!!

Prestissimo is a song that the band has performed many times.  This time, they chose to do a fast version of the song.  They did an admirable job of keeping the music, quality and accuracy at a top level as the song moved along at a “prestissimo pace!”

Sidney Klynstra and Emma Pachulski followed up with a light, humorous rap and drum piece called “Yeah Toast!”  Emma Pachulski put down a great drum beat and Sidney Klynstra rapped an ode to Toast.  Emma Pachulski would stop drumming and jar (and amuse) the audience by shouting “Yeah, Toast” on cue.  The song ended with a French verse stopped by “French Toast.” 

The girls did the song with great timing and enthusiasm that really brought out the creativity and humor of the piece. 

It was now time to do a couple pieces from the Spring Pops Concert.  First, they did “The Lion King” and handled a complex piece with great agility and timing.  They followed that with “John Williams Movie Adventures” which featured music from Star Wars and Jurassic Park.  After a bit of a search for a triangle that was important to the opening of the song, they handled the stately, majestic music wonderfully!

Several people from the middle school band joined the band for the final two pieces. 

The boosters took over to present some awards and tell of the activities they have done to raise funds for these fine young musicians.  It was great to see the level of community support for the Saranac Band!

The final two pieces were “Transformers” which had a lot of rhythm changes that the band handled really well and “Shut Up and Dance.”  Mr. Stauffer invited the audience to dance to this very lively, danceable number.  The band did not disappoint in either the energy level or the accuracy of the musicianship.

After Mr. Stauffer made some closing comments, the Band played the Saranac Fight Song!

This was a great performance by a talented band.  It was well worth my trip from Lansing.  These musicians really put their heart and energy into this great performance!!