This year’s District-Wide Music Festival featured the band program in grades sixth through twelfth. Musicians performed March 28 and March 29 in the high school gymnasium at 7:00 p.m.  Each concert featured half of the band program with students from West Woods Upper Elementary School (West Woods), Irving A Robbins Middle School (IAR) and the high school.

“I think it’s a win-win for everybody. It’s fun for the sixth graders to look towards the seniors as role models, and it’s fun for the seniors to remember when they were first learning how to play their instruments,” band director Thomas Johnston said.

Senior Ayushi Agrawal remembers her first District-Wide performance.

“This festival had inspired and motivated me when I was in West Woods to play as well as the high school students I heard,” Agrawal said.

Collaboration from all participating band members was vital for the organization of this event. On both concert days, members of concert band, symphonic band and wind ensemble were excused from their morning classes while younger students traveled to the high school for a combined dress rehearsal.

Each grade level showcased a variety of compositions, in addition to one piece in which all students played together, “Armed Forces March.”

According to sophomore Rohit Limaye, blending and balancing music was a priority throughout the evening.

“Because the District-Wide band is so large, I had to use my listening and adjusting skills more than ever to make sure that I was in tune and blending in with the rest of the band,” Limaye said.

At the end of the first concert, senior wind ensemble members Emma Sherrill and Christopher Brown gave speeches about their musical experiences and gave thanks to the instructors who helped them along the way.

“It’s pretty painful that tonight is our last District-Wide, and there are only a few months left. But at the end of those months, we’ll look back and know that the teachers in this room had a huge impact on making us who we are, and we can’t thank you enough for that,” Sherrill said.