Something Special.

I was privileged to partake of two of the greatest assets in the Firelands Area last week. On Thursday night I attended a concert by the Norwalk High School Band. Okay, I admit to a certain bias when it comes to the Norwalk High Band but I have really put that aside for this writing. The current band, while maybe not the best ever, is very, very good. They opened with two percussion ensembles followed by a trio. Then they swung into the full band. I am not a musician by any means but I have been around musicians and music long enough to know a few things. The first is that several of the pieces that the NHS band played last Thursday were college level pieces. They usually have a few musicians in the school that can easily handle college level music. I would think most high schools do. But to even attempt it with the entire band shows a level of playing ability that rises above average. And they nailed it. I know that they have had trouble in practice with one of the pieces that they played. The fact is that the band did what all people that excel at anything do, they rose to the occasion and played it with no errors that I could detect. Unfortunately I believe this was their last concert of the year so you will have to wait for the 4th of July parade to hear them and I'm afraid that the marching version of the band is incredibly different than the concert one, specially in the Enrsthausen Performing Arts Center.
Which is the second great asset that I want to talk about. What a great asset to the area. Wow! Not many small towns have a public stage with the height that will allow the raising of the curtains let alone being able to fly scenery and back drops. Anyone that has had to go to a concert at the old Norwalk High School building will remember the horrible sound quality of that auditorium. After all in is a gym and an auditorium and it really doesn't do either well. Now that it is a fifth and sixth grade building I feel sorry for the poor children in the sixth grade orchestra. They try their best but if you have someone noisy next to you they will cover the sound of almost anything coming from the stage. The room just eats sound. Not so with the Ernsthausen Performing Arts Center (EPAC). The stage is made to project to the audience. The room itself is made so that sound travels around in it and isn't absorbed by the walls. The stage has reflective sound shells flying above it that push the sound out into the room instead of letting it get lost in the rafters above the stage. if you are sitting in the balcony you can hear every note of a flute solo. Great place to hear NHS Band, Choir, or Orchestra. It's good for the community as several dance academies use it for their recitals. Other area schools use it for performances. and it doesn't just sit empty all week waiting. The EPAC is used by NHS for Band and Orchestra classes through the week as well as for special assemblies and presentations. Next up is the NHS Musical, "The Music Man", starring many of the students I just heard in concert. Wow, they play and sing! It Starts March 12th and I already have my tickets! Come enjoy more of what the area has to offer.