Carnival of Soul

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It’s a new environment in the band department at Gering High School.

With the transition of the Freshman Academy to the high school, a change was made in the band program to move away from grade-level bands to ability-based band.

For Benjamin Veilleux, GHS director of bands, the band program starts well before he gets the students as freshmen. Students start in sixth grade with beginning band under Natalie Prokop at the middle school. Class groups there are seen in sections — percussion, brass and woodwinds.

Freshman tuba player John Coakley got an even earlier start, taking up band in fourth grade in the school system he attended before coming to Gering. He started out playing baritone, then switched to tuba.

“It’s just fun in general,” Coakley said. “I like playing music.”

Veilleux said there is no typical band student, but there are traits that many of them possess, such as being genuine learners.

“They like to work hard,” Veilleux said. “They like to learn new things. Their left brain and their right brain seem to work together pretty well. They like the creative aspects of things, the expressive stuff, but they also have to have that analytical side, too.

“They like to be involved in a lot of different things. There are maybe three or four kids in each band that aren’t in anything other than band. Almost every other kid has cross country, volleyball, football, one act, speech, anything. They’re almost involved in everything in the school.”

Veilleux said he is proud of the students who make up the bands.

“I selfishly claim that a lot of the times the band kids are some of the best kids in the school,” he said. “That’s certainly the case at Gering. There are awesome kids who aren’t in band, but I haven’t met a band kid yet who hasn’t been a great kid and likes to be involved in a lot of things.”

Aaralyn Urwin, a freshman alto saxophone player, plays volleyball and soccer and also plays the piano.

Coakley plays football in addition to band. He said band was a requirement at his previous school, but his family is very musical, so he was going to play an instrument anyway.

Coming from a family of flute players, Urwin wanted to do something different when she chose alto sax. She said she likes jazz music, so the instrument was a natural fit for that.

“We get to harmonize a lot,” Urwin said. “We don’t really get the rhythm, so we get to co-play with the other sections.”

Although many people have a natural aptitude for music, others take some work.

“There is untapped potential in everybody,” Veilleux said. “As far as whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re probably right. If we can get your mindset open to at least growing and learning new things, a lot of the time it’s just that aspect. The nuts and bolts of putting the instrument together and learning the notes and stuff comes pretty easy if you’re at least trying at it.”

A trumpet player himself, Veilleux credits his past teachers growing up in Colorado with increasing his love of music and desire to teach.

“I’ve always been drawn to music,” Veilleux said. “I can remember my neighbor playing trumpet at a pretty young age and her showing me how to do it. Then I was able to pick that up. In sixth grade, I started in band in Colorado, and I just fell in love with playing.

“My middle school band director was really awesome. My high school band director showed me how to be a teacher, and I knew I wanted to be a band teacher from my freshman year of high school, and just kept that career path going.”

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