It was 7:15 a.m. on Feb. 17, and Wilmette Junior High School teacher Kimberly Farris had just noticed the young musicians she was conducting in the school’s symphonic band weren’t as energized as they should be.
“You’re struggling in a big way,” she said. “I want you to stand up and jump up and down.”
They did; from then until they packed their oboes, trumpets, flutes and other wind instruments away and headed for classes, Farris’ eighth grade charges were livelier and more musically focused.
Farris was happy with what she heard from them post-exercise, saying, “Wow! I liked that!” after particularly good movements.
Next door, Kimberly Dufek ran members of the school’s concert band, largely comprised of 7th grade students, through musical scales before working on their latest performance piece. Don’t forget to articulate your notes, she told them, and pay attention to dynamics. Each teacher ended rehearsal with a reminder of the bands’ next public performance on Feb. 29.
After rehearsal, Dufek and Farris talked about why they love their work.
“With band, every kid matters,” Dufek said. “There’s no bench in band, and they know it, which is neat.”
“I’m passionate about music and I love to inspire them to be passionate, too,” Farris said. “Just being able to give them the chance to love music is great.”
After the morning rehearsal, their students’ days continued either at WJHS in Wilmette Elementary School District 39 or, for a few of them, at Marie Murphy School in neighboring Avoca School District 37.
Both bands are part of a joint instrumental music program run by the two districts. The program has run for the past 23 years, according to its website, serving more than 500 students every year. Generally 100-150 of those participate in the junior high bands each year, Dufek said. She estimated that 10 percent of that number are Avoca students.
The districts share the cost of three of the program’s seven teachers – one of the two junior high band directors and the junior high orchestra director. They also share space so the various band and string groups have enough room to practice regularly. Younger students at Highcrest Middle School in District 39 and Avoca West Elementary School practice with string and band groups at each respective school.
District 39’s seventh and eighth grade orchestra students travel to Marie Murphy School at Avoca, while Avoca’s 6th through 8th grade band members travel to Wilmette Junior High. Because Avoca begins ensemble band work one year earlier than students in District 39, the concert band includes some sixth grade students from that district, Dufek said.
Avoca Superintendent Kevin Jauch said the joint program allows students from his district to play with large ensembles that would be otherwise unavailable to them.
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“We’re a particularly small school district, so for us to be able to share an orchestra and band teacher is important,” he said.
District 39 Superintendent Raymond Lechner said the programming reflects the belief in both districts that music, like art, should be an integral part of a child’s education.
“Of course we focus on academics, but you don’t – you can’t – ignore the quality of education you get from this program,” Lechner said. “These young musicians are simply amazing.”
At the elementary and middle school levels, band rehearsals don’t occur daily, Dufek said, nor do they happen daily for members of the various string orchestras. Once students in the band programs reach junior high, however, they rehearse every day.
Students who stick to such a rigorous schedule for a voluntary extracurricular activity are doing so out of love, said parent Ami Campbell, whose daughter Lydia plays oboe in the symphonic band.
“You can’t be doing it because you think it will eventually help get you into college, or because you want to be a soloist, or because your parents want you to do it,” she said. “You have to really like the music, and love the nature of playing in a band context.”
Farris, who calls the rehearsals the best part of her day, said she thinks it helps students kick off their days as well.
“It frees their minds to get ready for their academic classes,” she said.
Nadine Fabish’s daughter Nicole, who plays trumpet in the concert band, agreed.
“No kid is excited about getting up at 6:15 a.m., but there’s no day when she considers not going,” she said. “I think it warms her up for the rest of the day.”
On Feb. 17, band members ticked off multiple reasons why they like taking part.
Max Blake, who plays alto saxophone in the concert band, liked the social aspects and the chance to travel to different places to play. Flautist and fellow concert band member Grace Yu said “it’s really cool to hear how all the separate sections of a piece come together, to appreciate how they add up in the music.”
Kyle Evenson said playing in the symphonic band’s percussion section increased his enjoyment of music in general, while symphonic colleague Raghav Gupta, who plays the tenor sax, said he liked the instrument’s flexibility. Gupta said he’d probably continue to play when he goes to New Trier Township High School, something many of their students go on to do, Dufek and Farris said.
Ultimately, Dufek said, one of her biggest thrills is seeing students walking down the hall, singing the tune they just rehearsed.
“That is awesome,” she said.
Twitter: @pioneer_kathy