The Fair Grove Middle School Bands, with band director Natalie Palomo, are preparing for their first concert of the year.
The middle school bands will take stage on November 14th for their first performance of the year. At this concert the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade bands will perform. During their performances each individual middle school band will have their own time in the spotlight, showcasing their hard work and progress as musicians.
At the concert each band will showcase a different set of songs demonstrating what they have been working on for an audience. Families, friends, and teachers are all invited to watch the bands perform. For many students this will be their first time performing for an audience.
Palomo shared that she is especially excited to introduce the younger grades to things that are completely new to them. To prepare for their upcoming concert, the bands are working on many things such as keeping a steady beat, counting rhythms, sustaining breath, and the fifth graders are learning how to read music for the first time.
Ella Hart (5), a student a part of Palomo’s fifth grade band, shared her experience as a younger band member, “We have learned our first six notes. We are now learning our first two sheets of music.” Ella said she enjoys the band because it only gets easier as they learn more over time. Ella also shared that she loves being part of the band because of its friendly and inviting environment.
Palomo admitted that teaching middle school classes can come with some challenges, as the classes can get “squirrely” at times. To avoid this Palomo will often keep students more engaged with her high energy. Although there are occasional challenges, Palomo loves to see the band’s growth as they move from beginners learning to play an instrument and reading music all the way to the eighth grade band where they can confidently play entire arrangements.
Palomo said, “To be honest, when I started teaching I wasn’t sure I’d like teaching middle school bands, because most of my experience at that point was with high school bands, but I ended up absolutely loving it. One of my favorite parts of my job is getting to know my kids when they’re just starting and getting to be a part of their band journeys as they grow up.”
