“This was an opportunity to share the importance of music with the community,” says Barbara Baker, band director at McIntosh High, after students gave musical performances for the children at The Goddard School and residents of Southland Nursing Home.
As someone who firmly believes in giving back to the community, Baker offered an opportunity for her band students to do just that.
Ten McIntosh band students grabbed their instruments and headed out to share their love of music with the local community. The student’s performances included Disney classics, marching music, and classical solo and duets.
At Southland Nursing Home, students performed for several residents and employees who were “ecstatic,” says Baker. One of the residents said the performance brought back old memories of his time as a professional drummer with The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO), a nonprofit organization that provides live entertainment to members of the United States Armed Forces and their families.
Literally marching to beat of their own drum, students assisted children at The Goddard School with hand percussion and even allowed some to play with their instruments. “The kids loved making the sounds with the instruments and one four-year old played a sound on the trumpet with his first try,” Baker says.
Although Baker initiated the performances, it was these 10 band students who organized the performances, choose and prepared the music: Connor McCrudden, Molly Mitchell, Jessica Henderson, Ana Flores, Olivia Coleman, Kacie Miller, Brooke Owen, Rachel Cox, Doris Lee, and Shivani Natarajan.
Hoping to continue community performances, Baker says, “I feel that it is important for the band students to give something to the community other than a fundraiser.”
