Wethersfield High School will play host to 400 students and their families on Saturday for the IESA Solo and Ensemble Band contest. Wethersfield High School Band Director Jay Hagaman tells WKEI that the contest gets underway across the High School at 8:30 AM and goes until 2 Pm. Students from 12 Schools across the area, including Galva and Kewanee, will have band members performing, being judged and winning awards at the event. Mr. Hagaman tells WKEI that getting his band members prepared “Takes a lot of time.” He Continues, “Kids meet with me weekly to practice their song or their solo, or whatever, that they have spent a lot of time on, on their own as well, practicing.”
Mr. Hagaman also talked to WKEI about organizing the event, something Wethersfield has volunteered to do several times over the years that Mr. Hagaman has been the School’s Band Director. “It takes quite a bit of time. We do the schedule by hand, we set up all of the rooms; it takes quite a bit of time.” In terms of organizing the event Mr Hagaman says “”What happens is, the state puts schools in an area and then the state looks for a host.” “And, if someone doesn’t step and host, then the contest gets cancelled.” “So we, (Wethersfield), we host quite a bit of the time.” But, of course, the effort is worth it to provide this kind of opportunity for students to perform.
Awards will be handed out and WKEI RegionalMediaNews.com will be following up with those award winners for you here on RegionalMediaNews.com.
