Joanne Williams
Editor
(Photo provided: The Charlotte Orioles Band Boosters are the backbone of planning and support for the bands program, and often supply needed equipment such as this golf cart.)
About 100 years ago, the Gershwins, George and Ira, wrote the music for a strange little musical called “Strike Up the Band.” The musical went nowhere. The rousing title song lives on.
About 100 years ago, students in the Charlotte schools started “The Symphony Six,” which has grown into a half a dozen instrumental ensembles that are collectively known as the Charlotte Bands. The music indeed plays on.
This month, the 90th annual Band Bounce will be held, April 23 and 24, featuring instrumental ensembles and a variety show, presented by students from the sixth through 12 grades. This is a long-standing, coveted event, as musicians tend to run in the families of generation after generation of Oriole students.
In 2027, the Orioles will celebrate 100 years of bands at Band Bounce. Plans are already in the making for a grand celebration. Band Bounce started in 1927, when the “new high school building was dedicated,” according to Charlotte Bands history, penned by former Director of Bands Dr. Gary T. Sullivan, who was with the school district from 1983-2010.
The excitement is palpable, but not surprising.
“The Charlotte Band culture…it’s in the DNA of the community,” said current high school bands Director Jeff Szekely. Hundreds of students participate in the instrumental music program, which includes the middle school and high school.
The Band Bounce was started primarily to offset the cost of Band Camp, or Band Retreat, he said. These days, it helps support the band students as they travel and perform at the famed Holland Tulip Festival, where they have garnered years of awards and honors.
Szekely said Band Bounce “has always been a variety show with featured concert instruments.” The performers audition for a spot on the coveted stage.
The two-night, ticketed event is at the Charlotte Performing Arts Center (CPAC), 378 State St. Both performances begin at 7 p.m., but they do differ in terms of what bands will be performing. The Variety Show, accompanied by the award-winning high school Jazz Band, is the same both nights.
Danielle Davidson is the middle school band director. She, like Szekely, studied at Central Michigan University.
This year’s Band Bounce theme is travel, she said, with the middle school focusing on the world and the high school more so the nation.
“This band program is known throughout the state,” said Davidson, who has started her teaching career at Charlotte five years ago. “I came here in high school for a statewide band event.”
The seventh and eighth graders form the Oriole Band, and there is also an elite Cadet Band.
The high school offers a concert and symphony band as well as the Jazz Band.
Toting, lifting, cooking and even dressing these musicians are members of the Charlotte Oriole Band Boosters, mostly parents who support their band children.
“Every parent who has a sixth to 12th grade band student is a member,” said Booster President Wendy Wildern. A nine-member board plans and coordinates the work, from fundraisers such as sales of freshly made apple pies in November and mattresses in the spring. The Boosters were established in 1947 by Band Director Robert K. Powell, who led the band from 1945 to 1976,
These volunteers give “time and energy to support each student,” Wildren said.
The Boosters recently applied for and received a grant to purchase a 25-foot trailer to haul band gear. They also got a golf cart for other transportation options.
Tickets are available for the Band Bounce at CPAC, during box office hours or by calling 517-541-5690 for information.
