The Fair Grove Middle School Band is preparing for their performance on February 27, 2026. On performance day, the band will play many recognizable songs for the elementary students.
As the band approaches concert day, they are working towards bringing the music to a new level. Band Director Natalie Palomo said, “Typically, we’ll warm up and do some fundamentals to get settled in and comfortable with what we’re doing, then we’ll work on some of our concert music.” She added, “This close to our performance, it’s usually doing full runs of pieces and fine-tuning, but earlier on, it would be more detail-oriented, looking at accuracy in notes, rhythms, and expressive elements.”
Palomo said performing for an audience can teach students how to perform under pressure. Palomo stated, “Playing in front of an audience is nerve-wracking, but it’s less so when you are prepared. That’s a lesson that can translate into just about anything.”
The Middle School band is broken up by grade level, and each grade is playing at different levels. Palomo said, “Right now, I’m focusing on intonation and tone quality in my older middle school bands, at a higher level than normal.” Palomo continued, “It’s a really specialized way of listening not just to yourself but to the others in the band, and analyzing how [your] sound fits into the band sound. It’s pretty complex to conceptualize, and can be hard to teach, but it’s so rewarding when you hear them get it.”
Palomo believes one of the most rewarding parts of preparing for the performance has been watching her students develop as musicians. She said, “I love hearing them progress from kind of stumbling through their first sight reading of a piece, to times like now, where we are making music together, shaping phrases, and being musicians interpreting the score rather than just playing notes on a page.”
A+ student, Waylon Wright (12), is also helping out with the middle school band program. Wright said, “Usually what I do to help the middle schoolers prepare is run sectionals and keep them in check.” Along with helping the middle schoolers prepare for their concert, Wright is also playing alongside them. He will be accompanying some of their more challenging pieces.
Palomo says she is excited for the elementary students to hear music they will more than likely recognize. Between the four grade levels of band, they will be playing recognizable tunes from Disney movies and musicals.
