The band’s annual spring Pyramid Concert will be taking place on Tuesday, April 30, at 6:00 p.m. in the auditorium. The event is free to attend.
Jazz band will perform four numbers, along with Kilmer Middle School’s symphonic band, and Marshall-Madison elementary school-area bands, according to music teacher and band director Paul Vesilind.
These schools form the Marshall Pyramid in Fairfax County.
“[There are] going to be tons of people there,” said Vesilind. “We have the elementary schools, the elementary-area bands’ parents, Kilmer parents, our parents and anyone else who wants to come see the show.”
The selected pieces for the jazz band include songs called “The Chicken,” “How High the Moon” and “Run Away Baby,” which Vesilind describes as “a swing tune, a pop tune, a baton tune and a funk tune.”
Song choices for the Pyramid Concert were finalized in early January. Since then, the band has held practices for the concert weekly.
The band has little trouble picking up the selection of music, but Vesilind lists the swing-style tunes as a work in progress.
“The funk stuff, and the pop stuff and Latin stuff is all straight ahead,” said Vesilind about the band’s progress. “[Getting] the right feel for the swing style is the hardest.”
“We have a nice, well-rounded instrumentation,” said Vesilind about the band members.
The band program has 95 students, and expects over 30 incoming freshmen next year.
The band is also preparing for its 50th anniversary concert on May 23.
For the anniversary production, former conductors and alumni will be invited to perform.