Today, we went to Baxter High School. We got sack lunches provided by Wartburg, sang The Lord Bless You and Keep You and the Loyalty Song, and got on the bus. On the ride there, we enjoyed watching the movie Shrek and Shrek 2 on the ride back. When we arrived, we met with Wartburg alum Jamie Flanegan and her thirteen students for a clinic. While they were few in numbers, they had wonderful attitudes and were a delight to work with. We played a few songs of theirs, and they played a few of our songs as well. It was heartwarming to see how excited the kids were to hear their pieces played by a full band, and it was fun to hear them get into the music.
During the clinic, we broke off into sections to talk with the students about music, college, and life in general. The clarinet section discussed the students’ future plans and we shared how we chose our paths in life. It was a great opportunity to get to know the kids a little better and to share our experiences and advice with them.
In the evening, we played a joint concert. The Baxter students opened the concert and the Wind Ensemble followed them. In a beautiful ending, Ms. Flanegan conducted Stars and Stripes Forever, Nearer My God to Thee, and The Lord Bless You and Keep You. It was a great day of bonding and music with an amazing group of talented students.