PHS bands kick off the year with informal band dance

November 14 marked the first of this year’s monthly band dances. As opposed to many of the other performances hosted by the PHS band program, the band dances are not set up like a traditional concert, with the band on stage and the audience seated in rows. Instead, PHS Studio Band and Jazz Ensemble perform in the cafeteria, which is set up to look like a jazz club. Parents and students can dance while the band plays, making the atmosphere much more familiar and informal than a recital.

For this year’s band dance, the bands played a wide variety of pieces, with songs spanning from the 1940s to now. Despite the elaborate set list, the performances were very spontaneous.

“We [didn’t practice] any of the songs that we’re gonna play. We don’t have a set list,” said Studio Band clarinetist Thomas Basso ’27. “A lot of us are already familiar with most of the songs, but if there are new songs, that’s still not a problem for us because we can always sightread.”

Despite the informal nature of the performance, the students put a lot of effort into preparing for the show and building their teamwork.

“We have rehearsal almost every day, you know, with the block period class, but also Jazz Ensemble and Studio Band each have a rehearsal every Wednesday night as well,” said Assistant Band Director Dave Pollack, conductor of Jazz Ensemble.

During all of these rehearsals, the bands not only get the chance to practice for the band dances, but also for other band events for the year.

Band Director Joseph Bongiovi, conductor of Studio Band, stated that his goal for Studio Band and Jazz Ensemble for the November Band Dance was to “get them in front of an audience,” so that they could be ready for their tours to Europe in December (Studio Band) and Puerto Rico in February (Jazz Ensemble). While Pollack and Bongiovi hoped the Band Dance would give the bands the necessary preparation for their upcoming performances, the band members were also able to connect with students from other bands that they don’t typically get to practice with and appreciate all the hard work they put into the performance.

“I [enjoyed] hanging out with my other band mates ... and [getting] to dance,” said Basso.