The Abu Dhabi Select Schools Band is an ongoing project involving the students and staff of CIS, BSAK, ACS, GAA and AIS. The idea is that we gather the most dedicated band students from these schools, and give them the opportunity to participate in a large band with like minded students from all of the schools. There are many benefits to the experience. These include giving the students the opportunity to participate in a full band with 40+ members where we can rehearse and perform quality band literature that might not be possible with the bands in the home schools because of size. The music also provides an additional challenge because often times, these dedicated students are not totally challenged in the music that is studied in the individual school.
The first Abu Dhabi Select Schools Band experience took place on the weekend of September 19th and 20th. 44 students from the schools listed assembled in the auditorium of BSAK on Thursday night around 3:00 where they received their music, and then participated in full band rehearsals and sectional rehearsals until 6:00. On the Friday morning, all of the eager participants arrived before 10:00 am and spent the day doing rehearsals, sectionals and having a pizza lunch with their new friends from all of these schools. The experience was concluded with a concert of the 5 songs at 3:30, prepared throughout the weekend for an appreciative audience of parents and friends.
This was the first of what will hopefully prove to be many collaborations of the music teachers of these different schools. The students selected to participate from CIS include: Maeve Bailey on clarinet, Jose Moran on alto saxophone, Robert Hugg and Brandan Motiuk on trumpet, Aiden Hugg on trombone and Eva Solhdoost on tuba. Despite the rigorous schedule, these students thoroughly enjoyed the weekend, and left with many contacts in other schools, a strong feeling of accomplishment and a desire to do it all over again soon.
