There’s an expectant hush in the silent gymnasium lined with seats and people on a cloudy Tuesday evening, as parents, students, and a few faculty and staff members sit and wait in anticipation. And suddenly, great music pierces the still air, a symphony of woodwinds, percussion, brass instruments and more, all playing in harmonious sync with each other. That was the 2019 Central Catholic Band Spring Concert, which took place on the May 7th in the Central Catholic gymnasium.

After what felt like an extended yet successful school year, the Spring Concert was the final concert and major event for the CC band of the 2019 school year. The year saw the band perform at various events, from Central Catholic football games, the Christmas Concert, and the CCHS Gala at the Witte MuseumSpring, as well as compete at the TAPPS State Marching Contest, which proved fruitful in awards and recognitions.

The Spring Concert symbolizes an excellent fanfare to the end of the year. Showcasing the various groups composing the larger Central Catholic Band, the Spring Concert demonstrated the grand culmination of the band’s skill, acquired through practice, dedication, and experience gained throughout the 2019 school year and even in the personal lives of band members.  

After some introductory words from Mr. Danny Solis, the Band Director and Fine Arts Department Chair, the first of these groups to perform were the jazz band, known as the “Blue Notes”. Using trumpets, trombone, keyboard, and more, they performed four songs, “Jazz Rides”, “Going Home”, “Hip Bones”, and “Mambo Jumbo.” Next was the Percussion ensemble, a mix of xylophone, bass drum, timpani, gong, and others. They performed a captivating and mystic-sounding  piece dubbed “October Mountain.” It wasn’t just the musicians who performed at the Spring Concert: The Band’s Flag team, comprised of an all female cast, executed a dance routine while swinging and spinning the large flags.

After the Flag team finished to much applause, the beginner band took their seats. Despite their relatively recent introduction to playing a musical instrument, the beginner band performed with the utmost confidence, under the direction of Ms. Karen Roberts, Fine Arts faculty member at Central Catholic. The band performed three songs, first “El Vaquero”, then “Transformers”, and finally “Samba La Bamba”, apparently a crowd favorite!

Following the Flag team was the CCHS symphonic band, a fusion of both beginner and intermediate players alike. Directed by Mr. Solis, they performed the “Darklands March”, “In the Shining of the Stars”, “Phantom of the Opera”, and “Guantanamera.”

Of course, what would the final band concert of the year be without a grand finale? A great fanfare to the end of the 2018-2019 school year, all of the band members united to play “Bohemian Rhapsody”, followed by much applause from the audience.

In addition to a lot of great music, the new 2019-2020 Band officers were also announced following the grand finale. As Band President, Declan Petershack, Band Reporter, Alejandra Esparza, Loading Manager, Noah Contreras, Field Manager, George Reyes, and Librarian, Rachel McColley-Perez. The QuarterMaster Team is Emmanuel Bazan, Matthew Castillo, Frank DeLuna, and Noah Longoria. Drum Major is Rachel McColley-Perez, Flag Captain Elizabeth Jimenez, and Twirler Ali Marrota.

Looking back on the school year, we interviewed several band students on their own reflections of their band experience and what it means to them personally. Jacob Detovar had this to say about what band means to him. “To me, being in band isn’t all about playing music. It’s a commitment, and not only for yourself, but for the sake of others to grow from you. Therefore, I remain in band so that others may learn from me, and others will learn from them, and so on and so forth. Those who don’t understand that don’t truly understand the full levity of the group I participate in. Ian Doran sees band as “an amazing opportunity to learn how to play an instrument and meet new friends.” “I am blessed to have another successful year at Central Catholic’s Mighty Button Band,” said Sophomore Edward Briseno. He stated, “The Blue Notes Jazz Band was the first band that I joined here, so it will always be my favorite  because of the flexibility and creativity you can have in this genre. Being a part of the Jazz Band this year was really fun for me because of the gigs and TAPPS competition that we performed at. I want to thank Mr. Solis for allowing us to have a Jazz Band, and for teaching us to perform and improvise to the best of our abilities.”

After a eventful and  year filled with practice, concerts, and competitions, the performance at the Spring Concert made sure that the CCHS Band ended the year on a very positive note.