Members of the Clarkston Sashabaw 7th Grade Symphonic Band have been chosen to perform at the annual Michigan Music Conference. The MMC, formerly held in Ann Arbor, will be held in Grand Rapids at the Amway Grand.The conference will host hundreds of directors of bands, orchestras, and choirs from across the State of Michigan and will run from January 19 through January 21
The Sashabaw Symphonic Band is one of only five bands, only two being middle school bands, chosen to perform at the event. The group is slated to perform at 1 PM on Friday, Jan. 20 in the Amway Grand Plaza.
An application for performance and recordings of last year’s Sashabaw bands were submitted in the Spring of 2005. A panel reviewed the applications and recordings and chose those groups determined to be worthy of performing at the conference. . .
The Sashabaw Symphonic Band will be directed by Ms.Shelley Roland, Mr.Justin Harris, and guest director, Mr. Douglas Doty. The group will perform a variety of music including the opening fanfare, Ceremonium, Sandy Bay March, a transcription of Tchaikovsky’s Russian Cathedral Music, Three Renaissance Dances,To the Pied Piper commissioned in honor of Douglas Doty, retired Clarkston band and orchestra director, Song for Friends, the xylophone solo Fiddle Faddle featuring student teacher, Mr. Michael Medvinsky, A Prehistoric Suite, and the march Bells of Freedom.
The Sashabaw Symphonic Band consists of almost seventy seventh graders and is one of three seventh grade bands at the school with a total of almost 200 students playing wind and percussion instruments. The Sashabaw Band Directors, Mr. Harris and Ms. Roland also have 10 sections of sixth grade band with almost 300 students playing the various instruments.
The next performance by the Sashabaw Symphonic Band will be on Wednesday, January 11, 2006. The ensemble will perform a pre-Conference Concert of the repertoire being played in Grand Rapids. The public is invited and encouraged to attend the 7 PM Concert to show support for the band. For more information about the MMC, visit www.michiganmusicconference.org. For specific information about the SMS Bands, phone the Music Department at 248-623-4271.