Westfield – For the director of the high school band Patrick Kennedy, the recent trip to Washington, DC, for Parks Festival music was more than winning awards.
The combined band, which included eight or ten Westfield Technical Academy musicians along with Westfield high school members, won a lot, and each group received a first prize. They won the best general band of the Festival, first in band, jazz band and a march on their division for schools with registration for more than 1,000 students and the best jazz soloist, Ceilagh Thomson.
“For me, prizes only strengthen the good work that children have been doing. I do not try to do it our approach: to do the best we can, and if we receive something, this is an advantage,” said Kennedy.
They made many visits to DC and toured the monuments. On Friday morning, they played a concert in the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Kennedy organized it in advance with the Service of the National Park. He said people stopped and made videos and photos.
A woman celebrating the memory of her brother, a Vietnam veteran, had 50 people with her in her group. They thanked the band for their performance. Another girl from a graduation dress from George Washington University was with her family. Kennedy said the band played “Pomp and circumstances” for her.
Thinking about all the historical events that took place in the Lincoln Memorial, “it was a very nice experience,” said Kennedy.
They also saw a performance by the United States Band Marine Corps #1, called “The President himself”. The Drum & Bugle Corps, “the Commander”, and the silent Drill Platoon, who said he made incredible maneuvers with his rifles.
“The last time I went, 20 years ago, we were in the whitening. This year, they put chairs ahead, because we were a high school band,” said Kennedy. They also sent a couple of musicians for questions and answers with the band.
They saw a panda at the National Zoo and visited the African American Museum, which had a flat dedicated to music and culture. “They encourage you to start on the lower floor and work, and the horrible way of people took here,” said Kennedy.
“For me, these experiences are more important than a trophy. It is good to be recognized, but it is not the focus for me, however,” he said.
While talking about the trip, the first -year trumpeter, Joseph Melendez, came to request the use of an internship after finishing his other work for the morning. Asked about DC’s journey, he called him “Funny quite fun. The best part was the marine band. The way they left, they only looked so professional.”
Melendez said he started playing in the fourth degree in the flute, but went to the trumpet. “The brass is probably my favorite,” he added, adding that his favorite part of the band is “wrapping -with my music, playing, improvising, improving with my instrument.” He said that the trips are fun, and he also likes football games and the gait band.
“Just be together,” Kennedy said, adding that in summer he misses to be with the band but he is not missing at 6 in the morning
This summer it will also be the fifth year of band camp in August at the Westfield Middle School. Kennedy said that the school’s main and custody staff have been very friendly to let the band enter, while the school is preparing for the fall.
Kennedy said that so far there are 79 registrations in the band camp and hopes that it will happen much more than 100. Students can register in the online band camp. “We ask that children have at least one year of experience,” he said.
He said that students also begin to register -on the autumn band, after sending a Google form to graduate the eighth degree. He said that a few have already registered, with 26 for WHS and 17 for WTA.
Kennedy said this year’s high school graduate class is the last of the smallest classes for Band, much due to the impact of Covid 19 classes. “I think we will start seeing bigger numbers. This graduated class was quite hard. We lost many children. This happened to all sports teams and many different clubs,” he said.
“Covid appreciated me what we do. Thinking that we may never do the things we do again, he shook -in my core,” he said.
He said that more students will register when school starts. Anyone can enter the band, but if they have never touched before, they will touch. “It’s a commitment of time,” Kennedy said. The events needed during the year include civic events such as the Day Memorial and Veterans Day, St. Patrick’s Day, football games, although students playing in other sports can be excused, great concerts in spring and winter, pops concert and “It’s bandastic”.
Kennedy said he rests on Tri-M students, which means modern music teachers, to help children who need help. “I love children to help one another and work together,” he added, and added, a large part of the band is “learning to be responsible for something bigger than yourself.”
Students need to be a member of one of the profitable groups and reach an average of a degree to join Tri-M, a group of services that also helps plan community events, such as organizing Busking in the Westfield center and a music festival once at Park Square Green.
Kennedy also has a leadership team, Salt, which meets monthly. He said that the children are elected by their peers to represent the band as senior captains and honor guard, team managers and librarian: the student in charge of organizing all the scores; “The blood that flows through our veins,” he said.
This year’s librarian, Aubrey Cigal, is graduating and will look for a new one. He said there is a process of application for the leadership team that requires two adult recommendations. Five children from each grade are elected by their peers.
“They keep me tuned to where teens are; to be able to have a type of thumb on the pulse of what happens. Things change and not notice it right away,” said Kennedy.
He set the example of cell phones, which now have metronomic, tune and a whole music library, all the useful tools that children can have problems managing. He talked about having to go to the library at Springfield to hear the young player’s jazz recordings. “Now just pick up the phone. Some children really fight, they just get distracted by that,” he said.
As the bell sounded, a group of concert band students entered the Kennedy office before their first practice without the elderly. Some of the students already carried their new class of 2026 t -shirts that had just arrived.
Asked about saying something about DC’s trip for the newspaper, Owen Ritchie, a percussionist, said: “We won all the prizes for the past three years. I don’t know what’s more saying.”
Kennedy wrapped up and prepared to lead the band in practice. This week, the band will be performing at Westfield Technical Academy Graduation on June 5, and Westfield High School graduated on June 6. The WTA spring concert is June 11.
“I love it. It’s just a joy to do what I do. See growing up and working together,” Kennedy said, who has been teaching Westfield on the band since 1997, after nine years before the Regional Gateway Middle School.
“It has been a great life. It has been a great race,” he added, which is not planning to leave at any time.