Making music
Annual band and choir performances are a staple for musical middle schoolers.
Middle school band students performed in their first concert of the year.
On October 28, 2022 the Cannon Falls middle school choir had a concert. Each group sang two songs. The sixth graders sang I Love the Mountains and A Zing A Zah. The seventh and eighth graders sang All Night, All Day and Any Dream Will Do. The sixth, seventh, and eighth graders all sang The Rose. It was one of the first times the seventh and eighth graders sang together.
Elliot Iverson, a sixth grader, thinks that they did well. She said, “The only thing I would change would be when we went up there to be more clean.” They all had a good time and loved to show off what they had learned in the first month and a half of school.
Alexis Hoffman, a seventh grader said, “I think the concert went well and we did good singing the songs.” After the practices she thought that they were going to do great. The only thing that she would change is how the tempo sped up without anyone noticing.
Aydria Baker, an eighth grader said, “I think a lot of people didn’t really take it seriously, but they did sound really good when they sang.” She really liked the concert and performed in both band and choir. She liked how they sounded and feels strongly that they impressed the crowd.
Choir director Peter Duggan said, “All the Middle School kids did a wonderful show. They will do double wonderful next show.” He just transferred from band to choir this past summer. Duggan is a great choir teacher and only hopes to live up to the same standards as the last choir teacher, Mrs. Franke.
Later that night the middle school also had a band concert. Each group played two songs. The sixth graders played Cadets On Parade and The Might of Hercules. The seventh and eighth graders played Ayre and Dance and Monster rock. It was the seventh and eighth grader’s first time playing together.
Marissa Mandelkow, a sixth grader who plays the flute, thinks that they did well in their concert. She performed in both the band and choir concert and had a fun time. If she could change anything about the band concert she would change the sixth graders talking while the other groups were playing.
Oscar McManus, a seventh grader who plays the baritone said, “After hearing us practice I thought that we were going to sound good.” If he had to change something about the concert he would change the tempo wavering through the songs.
Malena Mandelkow, an eighth grader who plays percussion said, “I think that we did good because even though during Ayre and Dance we sped up, we didn’t lose anyone.” She played the bass drum and tambourine for the concert. She had good expectations for the concert that were definitely met.
Band director Mike Legvold thinks that everyone did great and got a lot better in the first quarter of the year. He has been teaching band for 30 years. He said, “The sixth graders have made good improvement since September. The seventh and eighth graders have matured a lot.”
The concerts are a cool way for middle school students to show off what they have learned so far this year. Everyone has been working really hard to get where they are now.
Hi, My name is Riley Iverson and this is my 4th year as a Lantern/Torch writer. I have been an editor for 2 years now. I am in 10th grade. I am also in...