Summer camp isn?t just for athletes any more and hasn?t been for some time at Trenton High School, where members of the THS Marching Band and Colorguard have been spending the week preparing for their own fall competition.
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Summer camp isn?t just for athletes any more and hasn?t been for some time at Trenton High School, where members of the THS Marching Band and Colorguard have been spending the week preparing for their own fall competition.
With a new band director at the helm, the THS musicians have braved the less-than-ideal weather conditions to learn new formations and music techniques as part of the field show they will be performing during the fall. Tim Gilham, who is taking over the Trenton band program, has chosen music from the opera ?Carmen? for this year?s show.
?When I was choosing music to use for the field show, I listened for things that had ?musicality? for marching bands, which is sometimes hard to find,? Gilham said. ?(The opera) ?Carmen? has a big, bold sound that?s challenging for the band, but not something that is too hard for them to handle.?
Band members saw the music and formation work for the first time this past Monday, which also marked the first day of camp. With only three days? work under their belts, band members were already able to run through ?Habanera,? one of four songs from ?Carmen? that will make up the field show. Other songs planned for the show include ?Flower Song?, ?March of the Toreador? and ?Toreador Song.?
?They?ve doing really well,? Gilman said. ?With a new band director, you really don?t know how the kids might respond. But I?ve been very pleased. They?ve been working really hard and are showing a lot of enthusiasm for what we?re trying to do.?
Working with the flag and rifle corps this year has been Chris Garstang, a mathematics teacher from Dixon High School with whom Gilham worked when he was there as band instructor. Garstang will work with the colorguard throughout the rest of the week, then return periodically early in the marching season to help fine-tine routines in preparation for competitions later in the year.
Gilham has been a band instructor for the past seven years and is a graduate of Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg, where he was a member of the marching band. His interest in instrumental music, however, began while he was a student at Raytown High School.
?But it wasn?t until I was a senior in high school that I decided I might want to be a band director,? he said. ?I knew I always wanted to be a teacher, but thought I might teach math. I tried a lot of things when I was in high school, but I really liked band.?
Gilham and his wife, Davena, are the parents of two children, Ellis, age four, and Emma, 1 1/2. He said that while his family has been here just a short time, the community has made him feel very welcomed.
?I?ve been amazed at how friendly and helpful everyone has been,? he said. ?Everywhere I?ve gone, people have been just so nice. It?s a very friendly community.?
While the band and colorguard have been working hard this week, there has also been time for a little fun as evidenced during Wednesday night?s practice when the horn section accidently ?met? the wind section, causing several band members to fall in a domino-like fashion. After a good laugh by all, it was back to work and watching to make sure another such meeting did not occur again. (It didn?t).
The band will make its first public performance this Tuesday night, marching in the North Central Missouri Fair Parade. The first field show will be presented on Sept. 6 during the home-opener for the THS football team. Gilham said the band will be performing at all home varsity games throughout the season and plans to work in around five marching competitions during the fall.
?We?re still trying to get that all finalized,? he said. ?There?s a lot to pick from and I want to make sure we participate in those that will be best for the kids.?
by Diane Raynes