When I was young my grandpa taught me how to play the trumpet.  He used to play in a jazz band back in the day.  Ever since then I’ve always loved music.  I started playing the violin in the beginning of 3rd grade so I have been playing for about nine years and I really enjoy it.  When I joined the Ranger Band here at Howard I wanted to play the sax because it had a nice jazzy sound.  When I first picked up my sax, I practiced for about 6 hours straight.

WHAT DO WE DO IN THE RANGER BAND?

The Ranger Band is about learning new music and performing for people.  We are able to play all different styles of music.  When you are in the band you will first learn scales on your instrument.  Scales are really important because when you know your scales you will be able to play anything (and when you can do that it makes life in the band much easier).  We also challenge ourselves to do different things like play solo or in an ensemble.  In solo and emsemble you can go and perform in front of a judge. The judge will give you a score on how you played.

WHY IS THE RANGER BAND DIFFERENT?

One way the Ranger Band is different than other school bands is because we are the smallest band in Orange County.  In most other bands they have about 50-60 kids.  We have about 30-40 kids in the Ranger Band. The other way band is different than other classes or clubs is that we have a band FCAT.

by  MIYLAN McCOY

Posted in 2009 - 2010 Archives |