Wind Ensemble

This week I went to the wind esemble class. This class was made up of all wind instruments with a little help from percussion here and there. There were three groups that went. As they came in they got bigger by the group. The class took place in Alexander. The classroom was pretty large, definately bigger than the choir room. There were instrument cases everywhere and chairs set up in a "U" shape like all music classes are set up. There was projecter screen and speakers all over the room. The walls had slits in them for sound reasons. There was one large white board, a few chalk boards in the back. Also in the back were all the drums and things like that.

The first group consisted of nine people. Each one with a different instrument. There was one person working the drums and the rest were winds. I noticed there was a much simpler sound than when I listened to the big band before. It was easier for me to pick the different instruments. I could also see exactly what the instructor meant when he picked a person out because they were too high or too low. It was a cool feeling being able to do that. The siund was unique also, it was a little cleaner, and a lot more simple. The guy on the drums did not have much to do. The first group was my favorite part of the whole class.

The second group was pretty cool because someone came and sang. This group was larger, with about twenty people. There was no drums or anything like that. The sound was still pretty simple but it had a catch this time. There was a freind of the instructor that came in and sang the song. The singer was a tall black man who has a great voice. He had a deep voice. He stood u next to the instructor at the front of the room. I could tell it was a lot different for the class. They had to make sure they weren't going to fast or too slow for the singer. At the same time though, they were going off of him so he had to make sure that he did not go to fast or too slow. He was an excellant singer though. He reminded me of an opera singer though. The way he stood when he sang and how he used his voice. He sang as if he was expressing his feelings that were characterized by the song.

The third group was the largest of the three. There was probably thirty to forty people in this group. They warmed the same way as the classical band and the two grous before them. One thing I noticed up close in the classroom is that while they are warming up, they are constantly fixing their instruments. Always adjusting them so they are either in a comfortable position, or making sure that they are working right. There three people on the drums for this one, but once again they were only used sparingly.

One thing I did notice now more than the other times is that people were looking at me trying to figure me out. One person came up to me and introduced himself. At certain points I could see some of the students glance at me and then look to their friend with a shrug. I don't think it was anything negative, they were probably just wondering why I was there and who I was.