How do you get nearly 300 4th and 5th grade beginning band musicians to play in unison? Start by enlisting the talent of Dublin Unified School District Elementary Band Teacher Christine-Ann Immesoete. Ms. Immesoete runs the elementary music program at all six public elementary schools in Dublin.
Hundreds of parents, family members and members of the community packed multi-purpose room for a band concert featuring elementary school students from across Dublin. The event, which packed neighboring streets with cars arriving directly from workplaces across the Bay area (and homes across Dublin), was the first time many of the students had performed on stage.
The concert consisted of pieces performed by the combined band - featuring all 300 students - and instrument spotlights (featuring flutes, clarinets, alto saxophones, trumpets, horns / trombones and percussion). Despite having only a short time to practice as a combined band, the students successfully made their concert debut, to the appreciation of all in attendance.
A highlight, featured in the accompanying video, was William Owens' "Samba la Bamba". Students only started rehearsing the song four weeks ago when Ms. Immesoete added the piece as a challenge to the students. Ms. Immesoete expected about half of the students to participate in the challenge, which required additional practice time at home, but in the end all students learned the percussive number.
