Band plays at Timberwolves game

Unique experience provides artistic insight

Freshman+Harris+Keekley+and+juniors+Shaqued+Ben-Harush+and+Brandon+Wetterlin+cheer+at+the+Timberwolves+game+Jan.+11.+About+50+students+from+Park+bands+performed+before+the+game+and+then+attended+the+game+afterwards.

Marta Hill

Freshman Harris Keekley and juniors Shaqued Ben-Harush and Brandon Wetterlin cheer at the Timberwolves game Jan. 11. About 50 students from Park bands performed before the game and then attended the game afterwards.

Amaia Barajas and Jenna Cook
January 22, 2019

As senior Lexi Lee reflects on the band’s performance at a Timberwolves game, she recalled a particular song that she was proud of.

“When we played ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ it sounded really good and it was fun to play,” Lee said. “It was a fun experience playing with friends.”

According to band director Steven Schmitz, the band played for the Timberwolves last year and were invited back for this year.

“Last year we were invited to play and I believe my friend who teaches band at Woodbury recommended us. It was kind of a continuation of last year,” Schmitz said.

Senior Cecilia Brown said she is proud of how the band was able to come together to perform well.

“I think we pulled it off really well. Since there were a lot of freshmen going, it sounded a lot better than I thought it would,” Brown said.

According to Lee, not much additional practice went into the performance because the songs they performed had been played

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many times before.

“We played the pep band songs at the beginning of the year in class and then we just knew them from playing at football games,” Lee said.

Schmitz said the band has changed a little bit since last year, but was still able to perform and grow from previous years.

“Our band was a little bit smaller than the one last year so it was a big space to fill. But everyone performed well and they seemed to have a good time,” Schmitz said. “There’s always a few hiccups on organization, but I felt like Timberwolves representatives were even more organized than last year.”

According to Schmitz, the Timberwolves game is another opportunity for the band to get recognition. He also sees the field trip as a good way for students to perform at other locations.

“We can get our name out there in a positive way and it’s a much bigger stage than we usually have. I thought it would be fun for the kids — a good bonding experience,” Schmitz said. “We do travel with band, but this would be a trip that was only 35 dollars compared to several hundred for band trips, so this could be something inclusive for people of all financial backgrounds.”