On Feb. 27, ensembles from the middle and high schools performed in the band program’s annual fundraising concert. The event raises money every year for new music and equipment for the band program. The concert raised $2,600 in total.

“Having funds in addition to what the school budgets is very helpful in keeping the program running smoothly,” said Andrew Van Bochove, band director for the middle and high schools. “I’ve also been trying to build a library of method and warm-up books over the past couple years, which has been funded almost entirely with music from these concerts.”

A table outside of the middle school gym sold band t-shirts and various snacks with all proceeds going towards the program. There was no charge for the concert, but donations were encouraged.

Students from both schools performed with the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade concert bands, as well as the jazz band, performing on behalf of the middle school. The high school featured its concert band and the jazz band.

The theme of this year’s fundraiser was music from the cinema. Arrangements featured songs from popular films, including The Lego Movie, Black Panther, Coco, the James Bond Theme, The Incredibles, and Flashdance.

”The past couple years, I’ve tried to give a theme to the fundraising concert because it features so many grade levels, so this year I thought movies and cinema would be a fun theme,” Van Bochove said.

The concert featured an impressive number of soloists, including Alyssa Lynn Catalanotto who provided the vocal for Flashdance, a song that many audience members singing along.