By Colin mixson
Band, school band.
IS 228 student-musicians blew crowds away with a thrilling selection of contemporary compositions including a “James Bond” theme and a Swedish glam-rock song during the school’s winter concert on Jan. 14. Some of the tunes were challenging enough to give much older players a run for their money, according to the Gravesend school’s leader.
“The level of rigor is very high when it comes to everything at IS 228 — all forms of instruction — but especially with the performing arts,” said principal Dominick D’Angelo. “It’s high-school level and beyond, and these are only middle-school students.”
The school’s symphony orchestra, symphony band, and jazz band really hit the proverbial woodshed hard in the months leading up the concert — budding musicians came in an hour early every day to bone up on their chops, according to the principal.
“We have something here called “zero period” where, each morning, they come in at 7 am — an hour before school starts,” he said. “We have that every morning, where all the instrumental players come in throughout the whole school year.”
The kids didn’t play much in the way of classical fare during the show — instead they performed contemporary tunes such as Europe’s “The Final Countdown,” Paul McCartney’s “James Bond” anthem “Live and Let Die,” and a medley of film-music composer John Williams’ themes from “Jurassic Park,” “Star Wars,” and “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.”
Students and teachers curated the modern set list, and letting players call their own tunes made it more engaging for the young maestros, according to D’Angelo.
“Everyone has input,” he said. “It makes it a lot of fun.”
Getting kids into school early isn’t always easy, but all the hard work really played off, and parents were thrilled — and a little surprised — to see their kids playing like professionals up on stage, according to one mom.
“It was very good,” said Lodovica Lorenzi, who’s daughter Kayla, 12, played French horn with the symphony orchestra and band. “It feels like being in a theater. It doesn’t seem like it’s children. It seems like professional players playing.”
