California concert band goes virtual for final performance

By Jose Negron
jnegron@yourmvi.com

The California Area High School Marching Band was one week away from performing in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida on March 20.

But those plans were wiped out when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and schools were shut down. 

“My staff and I shared the terrible news together on March 12 that we would not be going to Disney World the following week,” said California Area School District Band Director Dave Young. “There were many tears shed by the kids and my staff as this was something that we all were looking forward to. 

“Marching down Main Street USA is the pinnacle achievement of a high schooler’s band experience. It was definitely a hard moment to break their hearts, but I told them that we will get a chance to return in the future and that day would be wonderful and amazing.”

With the cancellation of their Disney trip, members of California Area’s band went months without a signature performance. 

That changed when members of the high school concert band, made up of 63 students, presented a virtual alma mater performance.

Young said a number of schools have begun using virtual platforms to make recordings during the pandemic. 

Since his group hadn’t participated in a formal performance since its winter concert in December, Young decided he wanted his students to have something special to remember during these unfortunate times.

The performance was posted on YouTube Thursday and had received nearly 700 views Monday afternoon.

“Each student had to record their own part separately and, unfortunately, there are a lot of lagging issues with using Zoom,” Young said. “I sent them an MP3 track that they had to listen to while recording themselves playing their part. Once they had submitted all of their parts, I used two different softwares (GarageBand and WeVideo) to combine the audios and videos.

“I really believe that this alma mater project was a success. While it was challenging, the result is absolutely rewarding and unique.”

Junior band member Jayme Gregg admitted she wasn’t entirely convinced the alma mater project would work when Young first told the group about the idea.

“I was a little skeptical about how we would sound playing it at home rather than on the field,” said Gregg, who plays the trumpet. “It was difficult to play the alma mater and have it line up correctly. For me, the hardest part was to play the whole song without being able to take a quick second to breathe. After playing it a few times, and finally getting it to sound good, I realized that when the whole thing was put together, it was going to sound amazing.”

After watching the finished product, Gregg said she was shocked at how well everything came together. 

“It was cool to hear how the alma mater sounded just as good through a screen as it does on the field,” she said. “Every student in our band works really hard to make us sound the way we do. We are a family, and this project just brought us closer together.”

Young, who was shown conducting his group of students via the back porch of his Fallowfield Township home, said the project meant a lot to him and his students, especially the 13 seniors involved. 

“I hope this was special for them since we were not able to share a final performance together,” Young said. “It was a perfect way to show school pride and spirit while working in this virtual platform.” 

Lydia Custer, a clarinet player and drum major, was one of the senior band members who took part in the performance.

And she, too, was a bit apprehensive about the assignment going into it.

“No one in our class had done anything like this before, so it was new for everyone,” Custer said. “In the end, the results of the video surprised me, with everyone sounding just as good as we would have sounded in the band room at school. It was very successful.

“This past fall, I was one of two senior drum majors in our marching band, so I didn’t have the chance to play the alma mater while in that position. Playing it one last time, although it was virtual, was a little heartbreaking due to our current circumstances, but I know I will always have the video to look back on and remember my last moments as a participant in the high school concert band.”

Young, a 2014 Charleroi graduate and a 2018 graduate of Ohio State University, has spent the last two years teaching at California Area High School and serving as band director. 

“These kids and this job mean the world to me,” Young said. “As my family has California ties, this job is such a dream come true being able to come back into the Mon Valley and make a difference in music education.

“Throughout these two years, I have loved every second of my job. These kids are truly special and I miss working with them in the classroom. I cannot wait until the moment where we get to continue our process. They have brought such joy into my life and truly have made me a better educator.”