Northwood band drums up future musicians

By Eugene Cottrell
Posted Wednesday, February 27, 2008

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Pittsboro, NC - The Northwood High School Concert Band and the Northwood Jazz Band are taking their shows on the road. The Leap Day Band Tour will travel to Perry Harrison, North Chatham, and Horton schools on Friday, February 29, for a day of music making. Following the winter Marching Band tour, these concerts are a continuing outreach effort for middle school students to highlight opportunities to study music in high school and to get elementary students excited about picking up an instrument for the first time and taking band classes in middle school.

The Concert Band will be performing music from The Incredibles, Pop Culture, Fire, The Fortune Teller’s Daughter, Viper and Halo Theme. Jazz Band selections include Birdland, St. Thomas, and Loose Gravel.

The current Concert Band includes thirty-six Northwood students and the Jazz Band has seventeen members. All rising freshman with prior music experience can join one of the bands. In addition to Marching Band, Concert Band, and Jazz Band, there is a Percussion Ensemble each spring, as well as classes in American Music History and Music Theory. Students can also try a new instrument in Symphonic Band class. Next year there will be openings in every section of the Jazz Band, so band director Eugene Cottrell encourages students to join.

Marching Band practices begin this spring. Marching Band students attend a two-week Northwood summer band camp in August to prepare for the fall competition season.

“Music at all levels is a creative outlet that also encourages higher level thinking skills. These skills come into play in all aspects of their daily life. The skills and discipline honed in music are especially important in problem-solving situations such as math and science. They can also be applied analyzing themes in literature and art,” said Cottrell when asked about the benefits of music for high school students.

The opportunity to travel is another incentive for music students. This year the concert band is going to Carowinds. The Marching Band typically takes a major trip at least once every four years. The Marching Chargers, along with many band parents, most recently traveled to a competition in the Meadowlands and spent the weekend in New York City. In previous years they have also traveled to band events at Walt Disney World.

For more information about the Northwood instrumental music program, contact Eugene Cottrell, Director of Bands, (919) 542-4181, cottrell@chatham.k12.nc.us