Trapped in the shadow of academics and sports, lies band.
Anyone can be a part of band, as it’s completely audition-free. All that is required is that students are able to play instruments, read music and rhythms, and have a love for music.
“Band gives you an amazing opportunity to express yourself through the music you play,” said junior Mari Carlson, a member of wind ensemble.
Senior Victoria Chin also found her four years in band to be a rewarding experience.
“You practice and get better at something you normally wouldn’t,” Chin said.
When students think of band at Cal, they tend to see it as just one group. But there are actually six different in-school bands in addition to marching band and drumline that take place outside of school.
The six types of band classes students can takeinclude concert band, symphonic band, wind ensemble, jazz band, jazz ensemble, and string orchestra.
Concert band, symphonic band, and wind ensemble play more traditional concert music.
Jazz band and jazz ensemble play music of different jazz genres, such as swing, Latin, contemporary, or rock. While jazz band is for freshmen or students that want to learn more about jazz, jazz ensemble is for more advanced students.
String orchestra plays classical, contemporary, and pop music.
While the bands do not often attend competitions, they always do well at those in which they do compete. Earlier this year, wind ensemble and symphonic band did well at the fall competitions at the Foothill Band Review, according to wind ensemble member junior Kathy Camenzind. The bands placed first and second, respectively.
Jazz ensemble also recently competed in the Folsom Jazz Festival on Jan 26 and the Campana Jazz Festival on Feb 9.
Marching band and drumline each placed first at every competition they went to during their fall season.
Marching band has placed first in their division every year for the past four years, and placed in the top two in the five years before.
Even though competing in competitions was nerve-wracking, Chin said all their practice has made them well-prepared, which makes them less nervous.
While marching band’s season may be over, the winter season for drumline has just begun. Their first competitions at Fairfield High School and Armijo High School were on March 1.
“I don’t think (people) realize the commitment level students have to the program and how good this program is if they don’t see us in concert,” said band teacher and director Kent Johnson.
Junior Aditya Bhumbla of wind ensemble agreed. He said that people practice outside of class and some take private lessons as well.
Despite the hard work, students like junior Esha Maiti like being in band and love playing music.
“I enjoy being in band because it’s a lot of fun to take on challenging music and the teacher is great,” Maiti said.
Their hard work seems to have paid off as all the bands are heading to Oahu, Hawaii over spring break to compete in an invitational competition.
According to sophomore Hannah Johnson of symphonic band, this trip only comes once every four years. This year, only about 15 or so students are heading to Hawaii to compete, as the trip is very expensive. They will be spending the entirety of spring break in Hawaii, but not all of it will be spent performing.
They have also been asked to perform at an Oakland A’s game in May.
The Area Band Festival is tonight at 7 p.m. in the event center and will feature the Cal High Bands in addition to elementary and middle schools. The band’s spring concert will take place next Tuesday, March 19, and Wednesday, March 20, in the theater.
Jazz band and jazz ensemble play music of different jazz genres, such as swing, Latin, contemporary, or rock.
While jazz band is for freshmen or students that want to learn more about jazz, the jazz ensemble is for more advanced students.
String orchestra plays classical, contemporary, and pop music.
While the bands do not often attend competitions, they always do well at those in which they do compete. Earlier this year, wind ensemble and symphonic band did well at the fall competitions at the Foothill Band Review, said wind ensemble member junior Kathy Camenzind. The bands placed first and second, respectively.
Jazz ensemble also recently competed in the Folsom Jazz Festival on Jan 26 and the Campana Jazz Festival on Feb. 9.
Marching band and drumline each placed first at every competition they went to during their fall season.
Marching band has placed first in their division every year for the past four years, and placed in the top two in the five years before.
Even though competing in competitions was nerve-wracking, Chin said all their practice has made them well-prepared, which makes them less nervous.
While marching band’s season may be over, the winter season for drumline has just begun. Their first competitions at Fairfield High School and Armijo High School were on March 1.
“I don’t think (people) realize the commitment level students have to the program and how good this program is if they don’t see us in concert,” said band teacher and director Kent Johnson.
Junior Aditya Bhumbla of wind ensemble agreed. He said that students practice outside of class and some take private lessons as well.
Despite the hard work, students such as junior Esha Maiti like being in band and love playing music.
“I enjoy being in band because it’s a lot of fun to take on challenging music and the teacher is great,” Maiti said.
Their hard work seems to have paid off as all the bands are heading to Oahu, Hawaii, over spring break to compete in an invitational competition.
Sophomore Hannah Johnson of symphonic band said this trip only comes once every four years.
This year, only about 15 or so students are heading to Oahu to compete, as the trip is very expensive. They will be spending the entirety of spring break in Hawaii, but not all of it will be spent performing.
They have also been asked to perform at an Oakland A’s game in May. This will be the second time that band has performed before an A’s crowd at O.co Coliseum.
The Area Band Festival took place at Cal on March 14. Cal’s band, in addition to elementary and middle schools bands, performed in the show. The band’s spring concert will take place today and tomorrow in the theatre.
