The Heritage High School Band will be getting back to the basics of music in the fall of 2020.
Although disappointed that the spring musical and other end-of-the-year traditions were canceled due to the Illinois stay-at-home order, band director Justin Lee was more concerned about his students’ health and safety than he was about the gap that might be made by missing the last couple months of school.
Lee now has his sights set on rebuilding the instruction that may have been lost as he approaches the 2020-21 school year.
“My high school students are going to start over and progress through a junior high-level method book and we’re going to go back to the very basics of technique,” Lee said. “Things get lost, but they’ll get them back soon! Junior high students are going back to square one; we’re starting the beginning band book over and moving through it as fast as they can comfortably go.”
Knowing that the school year could take a turn back to remote learning, Lee believes that setting up these socially distanced outdoor rehearsals while they can is going to be paramount for students wading through a lot of emotions and uncertainties.
Should Heritage return to a virtual learning environment, Lee plans to provide students with individualized, student-driven instruction for both instruments and voice.
“Music education is crucial right now,” he said. “Our students need outlets for their creative energy, they need opportunity to share, and if set up right, their musical background can work in harmony with any other subject they choose to study.”
Right now, Lee is preparing the 32-member Heritage High School marching and pep band for the future, whatever it may hold.
The group met for three hours a night last week to rehearse prior to a half-hour show Friday night.
“Everyone came in ready to give their best, and we were fortunate to see that almost the entire week,” Lee said.
Marching band competitions were canceled early this summer. Lee said that he was in daily contact with the administration who was “ truly fantastic” as they discussed being able to provide some sort of normalcy for the students coming in this fall.
“The fairly frequent updates from IDPH and ISBE confirmed we could give this a shot,” Lee said. After we canceled competitive marching band, it was about two weeks before I was certain we could go ahead with our new format.”
Lee’s crew focused on rehearsing music and going over marching basics in a parade block while also expanding their already extensive pep band playlist from 50 to 56 or 57 tunes.
Originally, the Hawks were going to do a medley of Adrenaline Engines (by Randall Standridge), We Are Young (by Fun) and Fanfare for a New Generation (by Dennis Eveland).
“We’re keeping the first part, and the rest will come later in the year,” Lee said. “If we get back to a full schedule second semester, we’ll learn a 2-3 minute floor show to be performed at basketball games, using this music.
“If we’re able to do any performances second semester, most will likely be pep band.”
Heritage is taking a wait-and-see approach to performances in the 2020-21 school year.
