Originally published in the March 22 issue of The Mountain-Ear.

Barbara Lawlor, Nederland.

The Nederland Spring Band and Orchestra Concert was another amazing event on the Nederland Middle Senior High School calendar. The concert led into a couple of nights of music by sixth graders through 12th graders. It seems as if it were just days ago that the musicians were given their piece of music and told to practice, practice and practice.

On Wednesday, March 7, 2018, the kids performed the result of their hard work throughout the second semester of school and it was a great way to segue into spring break, with music dancing in their heads.

The ever-growing and talented high school band opened the concert with a couple of Mozart pieces followed by familiar recorder pieces such as “Alouette,” “Ode to Joy” and “Upward Trail.” “Off to the Races” was a fun number for the band with Rowan Harper pounding out the beat of the hooves with a wide variety of percussion instruments.

The Middle Level orchestra put it all out there with “Secret Agent 440,” demonstrating that multiple string instruments can create a great sound. Handel’s “Water Music” was played with a great deal of finesse and flowing interpretation.

Then all of the musicians took their places on the stage, the Middle Level Band, Orchestra and Choir and the High School Band, Orchestra and Choir blended their sounds in “The Cumberland Cross,” taking the audience on a journey. It was a majestic, sweeping, joyful sound that the students put their souls into. In the improvement from the first concert to this spring concert, one can only look forward to what directors Liz Evans and Christine Mallory will come up with for the end of the school concert.