Revitalized Glen Lake School band performs iconic music of John Williams

By Zinnia Dungjen

Sun contributor

It was a year ago that Glen Lake Community Schools hired its new band director, Eli George. After the former director was let go, the school’s administration looked to hire a new teacher who could lead the students in the band to appreciate music and take on the resurrection of the program.

Last year, in the 2020–21 school year, the 7th–10th grade marching band made its debut in front of the school. It was the first time in years that the school had seen itself represented by a marching band, and that set the stage for the following years to come.

Now, the band has expanded dramatically and has been working for the past months on its big final concert of the school year. The theme is “An Evening with John Williams,” featuring the iconic music of Williams: the famous Star Wars soundtrack, Indiana Jones, E.T., Jaws and more. The concert will be held on June 2 at 7 p.m. at Glen Lake School. The band encourages all who love music, movies, or just want to have a good time to come and share in the special night with the musicians.

It all started last year when the students noticed a serious change in the band. Eighth grade trumpet player, Sophie McCreedy, said, “There was a lot more dedication, and a lot more people who were practicing.” This was no surprise due to the excitement and energy brought to the classes by the newly hired George, who started the band off in September 2020 with big dreams and goals set in place: his plan starting with the creation of a school marching band.

With a small group of 16 high school and middle-schoolers, the young director took to the football field immediately, teaching the students how to march, keep time, and play in a loud, impressive style of marching band music. Throughout the season the band played various pep tunes in the stands at football games, like “Seven Nation Army” and “CSA Jump On It,” while adding new music to play during the halftime show. Along with that, George created a pre-game set to play before the players took the field, consisting of “The Glen Lake Fight Song” and “The Star-Spangled Banner,” with the iconic drum cadence playing in the background. Finishing up the 2020 marching season, the band learned some jolly Christmas tunes to play at Glen Lake’s Holly Jolly Lane that took place in the winter of last year.

Once the 2020 marching season was over, the band jumped into concert band where it performed two concerts and a number of special performances during the school day for the student body. Following the end of the 2020–21 school year, the next steps on George’s plan were set into motion. The theme for the new marching season was released: “Queen.” Playing a number of new pep tunes in the stands with a brand new, extensively rehearsed, half-time show, the band took the field again, showing off all of its improvement and making the crowd go wild with its talents.

Concluding the 2021 marching season, the band registered for the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association’s band festival. The group practiced for months to perfect their music, which paid off when it received the highest division awarded to bands at the festival: the division one. With its new victory, the band continued to play a concert with the 6th grade band, and the 7th grade band, with music entirely based off of dances, and ever since then have been practicing the music of famous composer and conductor, John Williams.

Not only did this restored band program give the students so many opportunities, but it also gave them musical knowledge they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. Students have learned so much about musical movement, how to move phrases along, and how to truly make a piece of music more than just notes on a page and more of a story. The rehearsals may be a good time and have “forced fun,” as McCreedy described, as a time for the band to connect and have fun after rehearsals, but they also instill a real appreciation for music that these students couldn’t find anywhere else in the school community.

Along with a newfound love for music, the students are also learning important life lessons, behaviors, and are constantly given a real-life example of how hard work and dedication pay off.

The band president (a student leader in the band who helps organize events), Bella Romzek, said, “When you get things done and people are determined to have a goal, it’s more fun, because we’re all working together to accomplish something. When that hard work pays off and you get the reward, it’s refreshing.” The students feel this refreshment, along with everybody else who has put in an effort to help the band get better and make progress over the years.

The students in this band aren’t the only ones who have been impacted by the talent and perseverance these young musicians have shown. Percussion specialist and assistant band director, Nick Bentzien, said, “I’ve had so many parents and people from around here tell me how happy they are that we’ve started the marching band again.”

The entire Glen Lake school community has been impacted by this great change and turn-around in its band program. The band traveled to the Breslin Center in Lansing with the varsity girls’ basketball team to play and cheer on the team during its semifinal appearance this past March. Earlier in December, the students dressed up in their marching band uniforms one last time for the season, and went to the Maple Valley Nursing Home down the road from the school to play outside the windows for the residents there. The community outreach doesn’t stop there—after the band finishes up its final concert, it will play at Glen Lake’s Commencement Ceremony to send off and honor the seniors, finishing off the year strong.