"To My Dearest Mother"

Mother’s Day, May 11th, the Rural Retreat Middle and High Schools performed their spring concert, entitled “To My Dearest Mother.” Throughout the concert, a student from each available band read a portion of a poem also named “To My Dearest Mother.” Parents and teachers alike found this year’s spring concert to, again, be a huge success.

To kick things off, the seventh grade band performed the “Star Spangled Banner.” They also preformed works called “The Thunderer” by David Schaffer, “Shenandoah,” an American folk tune, and “Furioso,” written by Robert W. Smith. Next, the sixth grade band preformed songs like “El Capitan” by famous march composer John Phillip Sousa, and also the popular jazz song “When the Saints Go Marching In.”

After a brief intermission, the Rural Retreat Percussion Ensemble, made up of eighth grade and high school students performed their piece, “Baja,” arranged by Richard Schory. They were conducted by percussion instructor Mr. Jared Perdue. The Rural Retreat Color Guard then twirled to “Hey Brother” by Avicii.

Next, the Jazz Band played popular tunes like “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson, and “25 or 6 to 4” by Chicago. Soloists included Cameron Bear, Trevor Tidwell, Kaitlyn Whitehead, and Laura Makolandra. Finally, the concert band played a Halloween-themed song called “Hocus Pocus” by James Syler, and also a piece reflecting a great battle in World War II called “Moscow 1941” by Brian Balmages.

Overall, the concert was a success. The audience listened intently to a wide variety of music, and most began to bob in their seats to the popular jazz tunes. What made this concert most important was its dedication to all the mothers who represent the band, but most importantly, their children. The band would like to thank all the mothers who made the concert worth performing.

-Dylan Crigger