On October 25th, McCracken County High School (from Paducah, Kentucky) Bands presented “Music For A Darkened Theatre." This concert premieres every year right before Halloween and is in its third year of production. While I attended McCracken County High School, I was a part of their 1st and 2nd Halloween concert. Since I graduated, I definitely got a new perspective being an audience member instead of part of the ensemble. The unheard of thing about this school is that there are multiple music programs and almost all of these individual programs perform at this concert every year. Each year, the Halloween concert is held in the C-Plant Performing Arts Center (auditorium) at the high school.
This auditorium has been used for plays, musicals, and even band/orchestra concerts. It was no surprise that the whole auditorium was filled with people. There were multiple lines outside the auditorium doors while everyone patiently waited for the doors to open before the concert. The audience was made up of people from all ages. Due to this being a concert put on by high school students, there are generally many parents. The audience ranged from babies and toddlers to even the elderly. In this concert, the symphonic band, a clarinet ensemble, wind ensemble, saxophone ensemble, jazz band, competition (marching) band, and even the drumline was all a part of this production. This concert gives a huge variety of performers and all kinds of different Halloween-related music, so there was never a dull moment.
The concert began with “Music For A Darkened Theatre” (by Danny Elfman and arranged by Michael Brown) performed by the symphonic band. This song, in particular, has such a distinct sound to it and is easily recognizable by people who enjoy spooky movies, as this piece has been found in many of them. The piece began with an entrance by the brass section and I thought that this piece, in particular, was a great way to open the concert, as it began at a very fast tempo that stuck through most of the piece. 30 seconds or so into the piece, the tempo changes to a slower tempo that focused a lot on the brass section, with the woodwinds and percussion distinctly heard in the background and the familiar melody from the beginning of the piece comes back into play after a few measures. The tempo changes and features different melodies and harmonies by various sections in the band. Since I’m not the biggest fan of “spooky” movies, I wasn’t able to recognize a lot of the songs played in this piece, but it was definitely a crowd pleaser and featured a lot of different tempos and different styles of music throughout.
The next piece they played was “In a Gentle Rain” by Robert W. Smith. The director, Mr. John Lovell, asked the audience for their participation for this piece. The audience was asked to snap their fingers with the students during 2 parts of the piece, making it sound like raindrops. The audience seemed to thoroughly enjoy being a part of this and interacting with the students. The piece began with the students and the audience snapping their fingers and featured wind chimes playing in the background. This piece is very soft and subtle compared to the previous piece that was played, but it was definitely a great ballad. The piece features a few soloists throughout the piece as well. Near the end of the piece, students are snapping their fingers again and the audience joins them. At the end of the piece, a soloist is accompanied by the wind chimes once again and they finish out the piece together.
The symphonic band’s last piece was “Nevermore” by Brian Balmages. The piece begins with piano at a slow tempo and is soon joined by the rest of the band. This piece definitely fits the “spooky” theme and features a lot of the brass and percussion section, with very little of the woodwind section until about halfway into the piece. This piece ends with the alto saxophone, piano, and chimes, just as the beginning of the piece started.
Soon after the curtain closed for the symphonic band, the clarinet ensemble was next. Their only piece was “March of The Marionette” by Charles Gounod. This ensemble featured about 10 different clarinet players (including bass clarinets), with each part being split evenly. I thought that this piece was definitely fitting for the overall theme. The piece features a somewhat cheerful tone with the tempo changing quite a few times within the first few measures, with the same melody being heard throughout the entire piece.
Directly after the clarinet ensemble, the stage curtain opened for the wind ensemble. Their opening piece was “Falling Leaves” by John Fannin. I remembered this piece instantly, as it was one of my favorite pieces that I played while in high school. This piece was a perfect fit for the fall weather (as you may have noticed by the title of the piece) and was a big hit with the crowd. The piece began with the whole band at, what seemed to be, a haunting tempo, with a flute solo after the first few measures. What I really enjoy about this piece is that there are a lot of woodwind features (as a woodwind player, I may be a little bias). However, throughout the piece, there is no doubt about it that the whole band is involved one way or another. Near the end of the piece, the flute soloist joins back in with the piano in the background, performing the same melody heard at the beginning of the piece. The piece ends with the piano and chimes.
Next, a saxophone ensemble stood on the side of the stage with the arranger, a high school student by the name of Eli Case, playing the drum set alongside the saxophones. This piece was called “Ghostbusters” and it was an easily recognizable piece with the crowd. The piece was very upbeat and at a fast tempo. At first, I wasn’t too sure about a drum set and saxophone piece, but in the end, it sounded great. The piece included many different songs, all featured in the famous movie “Ghostbusters”.
Not long after the saxophone ensemble exited the stage, the jazz band came and sat on the floor in front of the stage and definitely gave the audience in the front row a show. The jazz band began with the piece “Frankenstein”, arranged by Paul Murtha and featured a few soloists. There were only a few flutes and one clarinet, so (as probably expected) the upper brass and saxophones were the most heard. The beginning of the piece started with the drum set and the trombones at a fast and exciting tempo. This piece had a saxophone soloist, followed by a trumpet soloist.
The jazz band had a great variety of instruments and definitely was a crowd-pleaser. Their next piece was “Moondance," arranged by Victor Lopez. This piece also featured a few soloists from the band. This piece began with the drum set and a piano, with a few saxophones and trumpets joining in soon after, followed by the rest of the band. I believe that this piece wasn’t quite as fast as “Frankenstein," but it still was performed well. This piece had a saxophone soloist, followed by a trumpet soloist and a pianist and once again a saxophone soloist.
Once the jazz band exited the auditorium, students from the marching band drumline and pit placed chairs in front of the stage curtain and all took a seat. Each student had neon colored paint on their hands and was wearing black in the dark auditorium, so it was a show based on their hand movements (body percussion). The students all took turns stomping, snapping, clapping, patting their bellies, and more. The piece they performed was called “Me Tarzan”, by Chris Crockarell. Shortly after their neon performance ended, the marching band pit was on stage performing “Casper’s Lullaby” by James Horner, arranged by Allison Campbell. This piece was perfect for a marching band pit, as it was so smooth sounding and peaceful. The tempo was slow and kept the audience relaxed. The final piece was the 2016 marching band show, titled “Caged”, arranged by Frank Sullivan.
I’ve kept up with the marching band throughout their season, so I was previously familiar with their show. This show is definitely great for a football halftime performance, but it sounded just as great in the auditorium. The show consisted of a few different movements and featured a few solos, including a saxophone solo in the first movement. The whole show was very fast paced (like most marching band shows) except the ballad. It included a lot of sound effects and various clips of the song “Animals” by Maroon 5 (fitting the “Caged” theme). All of the members of the marching band lined up alongside the stage, while the drumline, pit, and color guard stood on the stage itself. Their show was nothing short of amazing as it featured a lot of body work from the whole band and was a great way to close the show.
Overall, this concert was definitely a new experience as I was able to see the whole show from beginning to end as an audience member. Now I can finally say that I know what happens behind the scenes and in front. A lot of people look forward to this concert every year and it’s no secret why. The wide variety of performers leaves the concert interesting. If you didn't get to see this concert, you definitely missed out, but have no fear as it will return next fall.
