Graves Middle School competed in the Whittier Area Band & Orchestra Festival on Wednesday, March 16, at Whittier High School.
Under the direction of Mr. Murillo, Graves Middle School’s band joined six middle schools and fourteen high schools in the festival. The band played three songs, Hero’s and Glory, Defender of Time, and Cardiff Castles under a 0.5 classification grade.
The festival is put together by the Southern California School band & Orchestra Association. The association’s mission is , “provide enrichment opportunities which present outstanding student musicians as models for all instrumental programs.” They believe “that aesthetic education through instrumental music performance is essential to the school curriculum.”
The Association believes that having music in schools teaches students science, math, foreign language, physical education, and art. Science because it is exact and specific, including a score that is a chart and graph that indicates frequencies, volume changes, time, and melody. Math because it is rhythmically based on the subdivision of time into fractions. Foreign language because most terms are in Italian, German, or French and music is a universal language. Physical education because it requires coordination of fingers, hands, arms, and facial muscles that respond to sounds that ears hear and the mind interprets.
Awesome job, Panthers!