Under the direction of Paul Andrews, the 46-member Blackhawk Marching Band is presenting “A Tribute to MOTOWN” as their 2012 fall show.
Fennville Band Students at the 2012 GVSU Band Day. Image borrowed from Fennville Bands Facebook page. Click the image to visit the page.
Paul Andrews began teaching at Fennville shortly before this year’s band camp. New to Scholastic Marching Band, Mr. Andrews, in a meet-and-greet hosted by the Fennville High School Administration, presented the students with three show options. Of the three, the students responded most positively to the idea that has become “A Tribute to MOTOWN.” Once the show was collectively decided on, music was ordered and Mr. Andrews began writing the drill for the show. In addition to Mr. Andrews, Fennville also has assistance from Nichole Rae (Color Guard) and Adam Vaughn (Percussion).
The selections of this year’s show where chosen to pay tribute to the ideology and label that is “MOTOWN” and to also be such that students and audiences could all enjoy.
The Musical selections of “A Tribute to MOTOWN” include:
- “Respect”
- “My Girl”
- “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)”
- “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”
“Throughout the year, so far, we have adjusted the music to fit the competition style and the needs of our band. Visually, we continue to add new and exciting aspects to our show and look to improve on our visual scores throughout the competition season.”
One benefit to a new director is that they bring along new ideologies.
“Traditions are not created over night, but are an important part of the band family. With this being my first year at Fennville, every day I am becoming more and more familiar with their traditions and my experiences are shared with the students and we grow and build our new traditions.”
Marching Band at Fennville is co-curricular. Every day, the band meets for 55 minutes. In addition to class time, they have a 3-hour rehearsal one night a week. As with any Director change, there are obviously going to be some bumps along the way. “It has been a challenge instilling the culture of an extra rehearsal outside of the school day, but students are stepping up to this new challenge.”
Paul Andrews believes that an effective rehearsal has 3 key Aspects:
- Being Prepared
- Keeping up the Energy
- Taking PRIDE in What You Do
“My first private teacher always said, “Whatever you do, do it well.” I make sure to take this idea and share it with my students daily. If the students care and take PRIDE in everything they do, on and off of the practice field, the quality of the final product will show off that PRIDE and heart.”
This year, Fennville has already competed at Otsego (9/29), where they finished 3rd, with a score of 69.0. The will also be performing at Grand Haven (10/06), Jenison and East Kentwood (10/20).
The 46-member Blackhawk Marching Band is comprised of:
- 1 Field Commander
- 19 Woodwinds
- 20 Brass
- 6 Field Percussion
- 6 Color Guard
Image borrowed from the Fennville Public Schools Facebook page (click image to visit page)