Michigan—The Battle Creek Academy (BCA) gymnasium was packed with more than 250 family members, staff, friends and visitors for the final concert of "Band Together 2008." This year's festival began Jan. 31 and ended with the final concert on Saturday, Feb. 2. With Jerry Rose conducting, the students got the chance to show the audience just how hard they had worked during those three days.
Michele Stark, BCA band director, organized the bi-annual event for students in grades seven through 12 who are attending Christian schools in Southwest Michigan. She contacted band directors in other schools, booked a clinician, selected music, created T-shirts and completed numerous other tasks all in an effort to make "Band Together 2008" a huge success.
Rose was selected as this year's festival clinician. He has been teaching at Pennfield High School in Battle Creek for 21 years, and is in his 17th year as director of bands. As a youngster in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Rose was surrounded by music within his church and family, and this powerful connection between faith and music became a factor in his development as a person and musician. Rose attended Olivet College, where he received his Bachelor of Music Education degree in 1986. He received his Master of Music Education degree at VanderCook College of Music in Chicago, Ill., in 1993. His major instrument is tuba, and he is a frequent performer on all low brass instruments. Locally, he has performed with the Battle Creek Jazz Ensemble, the Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra and the Brass Band of Battle Creek. Rose is active as a member and adjudicator in the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association, and in 2002 he was inducted into membership in the American School Band Directors Association.
Brenda Mejeur with students from Grand Rapids Adventist Academy and Renee Coffee with students from Gobles Jr. Academy arrived on Thursday afternoon and stayed at BCA during the entire festival. The festival schedule was very full, but that tight schedule was threatened when the weather forecast called for almost a foot of snow by Friday morning. "We got them here," Stark said after everyone arrived. "Now I just hope that we can have rehearsal tomorrow." Though classes were canceled at BCA on Friday, Feb. 1, local students showed up at 10:00 a.m., and rehearsals went forward as planned.
The "Band Together 2008" festival band was made up of 84 talented young musicians. Rose announced to the audience that there were many fine soloists in the group.
"Many of these kids playing here don't get the chance to play in a band like this," says Nancy Steely, former BCA band director. "Our students (at BCA) have no idea how lucky they are." Steely was instrumental in planning and organizing the festival, and is a long-time colleague of Stark and Rose. Even in her retirement, she is still very involved in the music program at BCA. She joked, "They still trust me with a few keys."
The BCA Concert Band is locally renowned and multi-award winning. Stark will lead the BCA Concert Band on a tour in Toronto later this year.
"Band Together 2008" was sponsored by the Arts & Industry Council, and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs; L. Humberto Covarrubias, M.D., P.C.; and Autocam Corporation.
For more information about the BCA music program and concert schedule, call 269-965-1278.
Wendy and Ryan Keough, directors of marketing and recruitment, Battle Creek Academy
