Tonight’s the night.
A busy time will get underway for the Tyrone Area Middle and High School Bands. The fall concert is slated for tonight at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium. The concert will feature The Tyrone Area Middle and High School Concert Bands and High School Jazz Band under the direction of Mr. Aaron Patterson. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.
This concert will highlight Tyrone musicians from grade seven to twelve, featuring a broad variety of instrumental ensemble literature including an Olympic fanfare, the songs of George Gershwin, a modern Expressionist art-inspired work, a Beethoven march, film music from “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” a well-loved song from “Brigadoon,” and a toe-tapping funk chart.
The band has already had a busy season with performances at football games, several regional parades, the Tyrone Middle School dedication ceremony, Farm City Day, school pep rallies and six competitions including shows in Dubois, Shamokin, Williamsport, Johnstown and Indiana. This year’s band has 38 musicians and 19 colorguard/majorette members.
Regarding this year’s band, Patterson said, “We are absolutely thrilled and very proud, especially with the band being so young and many of them being new, that they have accomplished a tremendous amount over the season. It is amazing to me and really so humbling that they have done as much as they have. That’s a testament to the older students being such good leaders.”
There is much more on tap for the band in upcoming days. Of course, the band is scheduled to perform on Friday night at the Tyrone Area High School football playoff game at Gray Veterans Memorial Field. The band is scheduled to perform in the Logan Valley Mall Parade this Saturday at 9 a.m. in Altoona.
On Saturday, Nov. 25, the Marching Band will travel to Pittsburgh to participate in the Macy’s “Celebrate the Season” Holiday Parade. According to information provided by Patterson to The Herald, the band successfully auditioned and was invited to the parade. Tyrone was one of only a handful of ensembles selected.
The information noted that close to a quarter of a million people watch the parade either live or on television. The parade includes tri-state bands, national celebrities, floats and character balloons. The parade is presented by Macy’s, WPXI and the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. It will be broadcast on WPXI at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 25.
The Band is also scheduled to participate in the Blair County Holiday Parade on Thursday, Nov. 30 at 6 p.m. and the Yuletyme Christmas Parade in Tyrone on Friday, Dec. 1 at 6:15 p.m. The alternate date for the parade is Dec. 2 at 10 a.m. in the event of bad weather or a Tyrone Area football playoff game.
Recently, the Tyrone Area Band received recognition at the Chapter Eleven Tournament of Bands Championships. The band was awarded the first-ever “Best Band Sportsmanship” Award by the participating bands and their directors.
Other recent awards include “Best Drum Major” award in the Group II competition at the Chapter Eleven Championships. Senior head drum majorette Meridith Graudons received the honor. Senior Clarinetist Jenna Dillon received the 2006 Tournament of Bands collegiate scholarship at the Chapter Championships presented by the directors of the Chapter Eleven Bands.
Graudons was asked about her band experience and she said it was “a good outlet” for her and others. She described the experience as a way to “get together and have fun” with friends.
“It’s really good to go out there and support others like the football team,” said Graudons. “I think the Macy’s Parade is really a good opportunity for us to get out there and show people that a little town school can actually have a good music program.”
