Symphonic Band
Students enrolling in Symphonic Band or Honors Symphonic Band will experience Symphonic Band, Marching Band, and Pep Band all in one class. We begin working on music for concert band in the last few weeks of our marching season. The "textbook" for Symphonic Band is the repertoire that we perform. In each piece of music, there is an opportunity to develop mastery of performance concepts, to develop one's music literacy, and to dig deeper and understand the historical/cultural background or the composer's intent behind the piece. This approach breeds strong musicians that have a greater understanding of the music they perform and may perform it on a high level.
Students enrolling in Symphonic Band or Honors Symphonic Band will experience Symphonic Band, Marching Band, and Pep Band all in one class. We begin working on music for concert band in the last few weeks of our marching season. The "textbook" for Symphonic Band is the repertoire that we perform. In each piece of music, there is an opportunity to develop mastery of performance concepts, to develop one's music literacy, and to dig deeper and understand the historical/cultural background or the composer's intent behind the piece. This approach breeds strong musicians that have a greater understanding of the music they perform and may perform it on a high level.
Marching Band
The MHS Marching Band or Marching Generals perform at all MHS home football games, numerous parades, and marching field show competitions during their season. For the majority of the season, the ensemble works with the goal to put on a top-quality field show performance that is well-executed musically, with a uniform approach to movement (marching fundamentals), and leaves an imprint on any audience that experiences their performance. The marching arts provide a great venue to mesh music, art, and movement in a single performance. More information about this ensemble and its preseason schedule will be found in the resources tab. |
Pep Band
The MHS Pep Band performs at all home varsity basketball games in addition to the Turkey Tournament which is held in November. The group provides music and entertainment (renditions of popular songs from both the past and present, school song, national anthem) prior to the start of each game and during halftime. During the season, we will have a game designated for an Alumni Pep Band to join as well as a game welcoming the incoming freshman to perform with us. More info coming soon!
The MHS Pep Band performs at all home varsity basketball games in addition to the Turkey Tournament which is held in November. The group provides music and entertainment (renditions of popular songs from both the past and present, school song, national anthem) prior to the start of each game and during halftime. During the season, we will have a game designated for an Alumni Pep Band to join as well as a game welcoming the incoming freshman to perform with us. More info coming soon!
Jazz Combo/Jazz Ensemble
MacArthur High School was once highly recognized for its top-notch jazz program led by former director of bands, Jim Culbertson. The MHS Jazz Combo will start up in late October once marching season concludes. This group will perform at all MHS Band Concerts and may have a few more gigs determined at a later time. There are numerous musical benefits to studying and performing jazz music. Here is an excerpt from an article that explains how skills developed in jazz may also translate to important life skills. In addition to learning the jazz idiom, this ensemble also experiences rock/funk and several latin styles. The typical jazz instrumentation includes saxophones, trombones, trumpets, and a rhythm section (drums, bass, guitar, piano and/or vibes). A performance and rehearsal schedule has yet to be devised for this group, but will come once we poll the members for best rehearsal times. Rehearsals will be 2-3 times a week after school. |