St. Petersburg High School 1991 Yearbook (St. Petersburg, FL) - Full Access

How has concert band made you musically aware? •••••••••• "Being in Wind Ensemble, I have learned to play mu– sic that is much more difficult than what I am used to." - Maria Somers "It has made me musically aware through the diffi– culty of the music we play and by the new experiences that the group en– counters." - Sara Berrett 186 • Organizations/Concert Band ConceJ;;.t)Band sets a Significa..n,t Standard of Excellence Have you ever been around after school on Tuesdays? If you have, you've probably heard music in the distance. Haven't you ~yer wondered where the music came from? After some iQvestigatioQ,•.you .would soon .realize it was the Concert Band practicing. Plenty of practice helped the band achieve highiatings in competition. In December, they competed at the St. Petersburg Hilton in the Florida Tournament of Bands. At that contest, they received an excellent rating for their performance. For many of the members, competitions were fun as they helped the players get to know each other... .bett.er. It also was an opportunity to perform what they'd been practicing. "Concert Band has been a wonderful experience for me. I enjoy all the different kinds of people that I meet when the band trav~ls to competition," commented Stephanie Poulard. For others, being in band provided more than social experience. Band was a time-consuming task, involving talent and patience, but some students made band membership their goal. "I decided to join band so I could learn about music. Since I've become a member, I've learned the basics for playing the clarinet," stated Tamica Slaughter. But, it was the direction of Mr. Laorenza that helped the band achieve a winning tradition. He has built up the band over the past three years. "For our school size, we should play a grade four in music. Now, the band plays a grade. five and also maintains high rating§,:: explained director Mr. Laorenza. With careful practice and the direction of Mr. Laorenza, the Concert Band set a standard of excellence. - Tammy Jaycox