By Cara Martinez
Staff Writer
A total of 15 Mira Costa percussion students performed group and solo pieces at their only concert of the school year on Wednesday in the small theater.
Percussionists from the three band ensembles, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble and Wind Symphony, performed in the concert, playing instruments such as the base drum, snare drum, xylophone and crash symbols.
“The purpose of the event was to showcase the percussionists because people don’t really know that we have a big percussion program,” junior Ryan Dulong said. “People generally associate Costa with just band or orchestra. [Percussion] does our own stuff and plays our own music, so it’s a way for [the section] to shine.”
The percussion section has been practicing for its concert since the Band program’s December Winter Concert, Dulong said. It practices during school periods, and each of the three classes prepared two to three different pieces for the concert. Along with the group performance, the students performed four solos and one duet at the concert.
Here are photos of the students performed at the Mira Costa Percussion Concert on May 17.
“During practice, we break everything down, and we make sure everyone understands their parts and how they fit together. I really like seeing the accumulation of efforts from the students,” Percussion director Jeremy Miller said. “For me, it is extra special for the seniors because I get to see all of their progress from a freshman to their senior year.”
“I have been practicing like crazy for my solo,” Dulong said. “I practiced every day for an hour or two, and it has taken me around two months to learn the whole thing. Slowly but steadily, I’ve begun to feel more comfortable with the solo.”
Click to see Mira Costa’ s band and percussion facebook page:
The concert differs from others in that it allows percussionists who usually sit in the back to be the focus of the show, Band director Joel Carlson said.
“Aside from what our percussionists do for our other bands, they now get to get off the back of the stage and have the audience focus on them,” Miller said. “Everyone gets to see their teammates’ dedication and how much they have progressed.”
The band program as a whole will perform its last concert of the year on May 31 in the auditorium, focusing on well-known pop-culture music from productions such as the movie series “Star Wars,” the Broadway play “Hamilton,” and the Disney film “Moana.”
Click to see the band website:
“In order to prepare [for our last performance], we are spending time listening back and forth to originals and incorporating the sounds of those into our own playing and recreating them musically,” Carlson said. “I’m excited for the opportunity to entertain people and hear some fun and popular music, and to enjoy playing it as well.”
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