The Ukiah High School Marching Band is having a 24-hour “Play-a-Thon” fundraiser from 4:00 p.m. on Friday, March 6, to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 7.
“We’re fundraising to send our band to see the San Francisco Symphony, and the Jazz Band to see the Preservation Hall Jazz Band in San Francisco,” explains Ukiah High Instrumental Music Director Audrey McCombs. “Our musicians are going to attempt to keep music going for 24 hours straight. Students are collecting pledges for every hour they play,” she continues. “We’ll have time slots for students to play in jazz combos, small chamber music groups, ‘learn a new instrument’ time, group guitar time, karaoke… we’re doing it all!”
“Additionally, there will be an open rehearsal for anyone and everyone to come and watch a rehearsal with the Wind and Jazz Ensembles from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Friday, the 6th, so audiences can experience the look and sound of an actual music rehearsal,” McCombs continues. “Find a musician and pledge a few bucks.”
McCombs has been the Instrumental Music Director for UHS since 2016. Born and raised in Humboldt County, McCombs started playing guitar and tuba while attending Fortuna High. She received her BA in Music Education from (then) Humboldt State University and her MA in Musicology from the University of Bristol (UK).
Audrey McCombs, Ukiah High’s Instrumental Music Director, is in her 10th year. During that time, she has taught Wind Ensemble, Marching Band, Jazz Ensemble, Musica Norteña, Beginning Band, Beginning Guitar, String Orchestra, and History of Jazz and Rock. (Carole Brodsky — Ukiah Daily Journal)As a tubist, McCombs has performed with the Humboldt Symphony, Lake County Symphony, Symphony of the Redwoods, and Ukiah Symphony, and once with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Her heart lies with British-style brass bands, particularly the Humboldt Bay Brass and City of Bristol Brass Bands.
At Ukiah High, McCombs has taught Wind Ensemble (which doubles as the marching band during football season), Jazz Ensemble, Musica Norteña, Beginning Band, Beginning Guitar, String Orchestra, and History of Jazz and Rock.
When not spending 24 hours in the UHS band room, McCombs loves hanging out with her cat Mavis Beacon, cooking, working out, visiting every MLB ballpark in the US, and stalking Paul McCartney, whom she has seen 22 times in 5 different countries.
She is in her 10th year teaching at Ukiah High, reviving the school’s once-legendary marching band and the entire music program. The much-loved instructor currently teaches 37 students in Wind Ensemble, having just completed their season as the marching band. A successful football season resulted in quite a few additional performances for the band, and their busy semester of learning, traveling, and performing is continuing unabated, with a heavy rotation of concerts, performances, and other engagements this Spring.
Prior to McComb’s arrival, the band struggled with financial issues. “It had returned just before I arrived. We started out with 22 in the Advanced Band and built that up to 56. Then the pandemic struck, and we were stuck at 30 students for 5 years. We’re finally on the way back up.”
McCombs laughs as she recounts running into Ukiah locals who remember the heyday of the high school band, “The conversations always begin the same way: ‘When I was in high school…’” she laughs. “Things are quite different these days. Requirements for college are taxing. I have students who have to choose between taking AP Physics and Band. Music tastes have changed, and there is still a little stigma around being a band kid.”
Nonetheless, McCombs has built a stellar group of budding musicians who are not only excellent performers but a cadre of colleagues who clearly appreciate one another, the music, and their instructor.
Selecting music for the band is one of McComb’s challenges. “I balance the abilities of the students, what they like, what I might like, and what an audience might like. The most important aspect is choosing a piece that is enough of a challenge without being either overwhelming or too easy. In education lingo, we call that ‘The Zone of Proximal Development,’” she grins. “Plus, we have a mixture of students possessing varying degrees of ability and experience. I try to provide some music education, so I look for everything from classical music to John Phillip Sousa.”
The students play the full complement of marching band instruments: all manner of percussion- from xylophones to claves to bass, snare drums and timpani, flute, sax, French horn, clarinet, bass clarinet, trombone, bass guitar, oboe, trumpet, bassoon, and tuba.
Class begins with a breathing session- in on the count of one, out on three. “Let all of it out, and I shouldn’t hear it,” McCombs instructs. Shoulder-loosening exercises follow. With the metronome on, students warm up in unison, going down the scale by half-steps, while the drummers keep time. The warm-ups become more challenging- alternating between the starting note and a note four steps down. Then everyone plays a single note, followed by singing the same note. They practice singing and playing arpeggios, singing almost as much as they play.
German Hernandez is 16, a sophomore in his 2nd year of the program. “I started playing steel pans in middle school. We weren’t allowed to play wind instruments because of Covid. Once we could, I chose the saxophone.”
Hernandez was invested in learning his instrument. “I attended the after-school program in middle school. My band instructor gave me lessons. I just kept going when I got here.” He is getting into jazz. “There’s a lot there.” For Hernandez, the best part of being in the band is the sense of community. “This is almost like my second family, and the trips really build our bond. We talk a lot during class, and we applaud for everything. Someone says, ‘I got a job,’ and we’re all clapping.” He enjoyed performing recently at the Cloverdale Citrus Fair. “We’ve got a music festival coming up in Napa. This week we’re playing in a district-wide concert. Then we’ll be locked in here during Play-A-Thon. Then, some select people will be in Honor Band between Mendocino and Lake County bands, and then there’s another all-region festival in Eureka. After that, we’re going to San Francisco for the Symphony. March is going to be crazy,” he smiles. Hernandez plans to be a music education major. “I wish to teach other people what I love.” He’s the first person in his family pursuing music. “I’m lucky my family is so supportive.”
In the rehearsal room, McCombs claps out a basic quarter and eighth-note exercise, with half the students clapping eighth notes and the other clapping a syncopated beat of 3 eighth notes played against the 4/4 tempo. “Don’t worry. Once you get this rhythm down, the piece changes 3 measures later,” she smiles.
Lily Keplinger, 18, is a senior. She plays trumpet and is a drum major in the marching band. “I didn’t play until freshman year. I was watching a performance. I loved the music and realized I could be a part of that music.” She learned the trumpet. “It’s the only instrument I’ve ever played. Trumpet is pretty easy to learn, but it’s challenging to progress.” In her spare time, Keplinger listens to indie rock and early jazz. “I’ve always loved Louis Armstrong. My Dad was into Frank Sinatra, so I have must have heard Louis on a playlist. I love Ella Fitzgerald- her slow, vocal style. There’s nothing cooler than listening to Ella sing with Louis- his raspy stage voice is so cool. And I love Sam Cooke.
It does provide a degree of hope that an 18-year-old can discuss jazz from the 30’s, 40’s, be-bop and beyond. Keplinger isn’t planning to major in music, “but I would kill to be in a cabinet group or a college symphony.” She became drum major during sophomore year. “I was friends with the existing drum major, and I just went for it. I like leading more than I like playing with the marching music.”
Briana Ramirez, 15, is a freshman who started Band in 6th grade. “I knew from 4th grade that I really wanted to play an instrument. I loved the clarinet.” She played throughout middle school and practiced at home. “Every year, my dad would ask, ‘Are you still taking band?’ The answer was always, ‘Yes.’ I’ve already selected band as next year’s elective.”
Ramirez loves all types of music- from Weezer to Bad Bunny to Hispanic music. “I’m definitely going to try to learn the trumpet or the oboe.” She is dedicated to practicing. “I’ll talk to my middle school friends who say, ‘I don’t practice. I don’t need to.’ I practice so much. I’m practicing the chromatic scale a lot right now. Students who don’t practice for a whole summer find out how much practicing matters. I got lucky because I have a clarinet at home, so I can practice in summer.”
Ramirez isn’t sure how music fits into career plans. “There’s not too much to do with music and wind instruments jobwise. I’m going to continue playing so I have a hobby.” She loves the camaraderie of band class. “I’ve met a lot of great people, and it’s safe to be a little weird. We all have the same interests- music really connects us. It’s really amazing and I love it.”
Ramirez praises her instructor. “Ms. McCombs jokes with us constantly. She is wonderful. She really cares for us students. People come to class crying, with a problem, and she’s the first one to ask if they’re ok. If we come to school sick, she sends us out. She is very stern when she needs to be, but she never gets upset or yells.”
Ramirez was thrilled to become part of the marching band. “I showed up at Band Camp, learned how to march and was very nervous for our first football game. It’s a lot, but it’s really fun. The learning just took a little time. I’d love it if we had competitions.”
Ezra Cabral, 16 is a junior who began playing drums in middle school about 5 years ago. But it was the stories from his older sister, a band alumnus, that motivated him to join. “I’d picked up mallets and drums and took some private lessons, so I skipped into Advanced Band. I was the only mallet player, and I picked up tuba.”
He listens to a combination of Indie Rock and Deathcorps- known for incredibly fast drum parts. “You can barely hear what they’re saying,” he laughs. Along with playing in the concert and jazz band, Cabral is a drummer with Splynter, a local thrash metal band. “We have shows lined up, and we’re releasing some tracks very soon.” You can see them perform soon at the Lot on Main.
Cabral is preparing for a music career. “I’ve bent my life towards music. I’m majoring in music, but I’m not sure of the specific direction- maybe teaching.” Like his classmates, he truly enjoys marching band. “It’s about what we do as a band family. I could tell you the name of every person here, plus a fact about them. The experience gained from our trips is the best. I love marching band- playing for the football team. It was something to learn, but it becomes muscle memory after you do it long enough.”
Marcus Elliott, 17, is a senior who joined Band as a Sophomore. “I had friends in Band, and I’d heard how eccentric Miss McCombs was,” he jokes. He learned how to play the trumpet and fell in love with Band. “As a Junior, I took part in Marching Band. Now I’m in marching and jazz band and I’m section leader for the trumpets. I thank Ms. McCombs for helping me be my best.”
Elliot’s music taste has broadened since being exposed to more types of music. “I started out liking old rap. Now I like Jazz, Bossa Nova, rap sub-genres and a little rock. I’m learning more music theory. There’s so much out there.” He loves the sound of the trumpet and its importance in everything from the symphony to jazz bands. “It’s really essential to any type of professional music.”
As much as he loves music, Elliot plans to attend junior college and then transfer to a four-year college to pursue a career teaching history. “I’m interested in all history: Medieval, modern, ancient Greece. I’m studying how things happened in the past and how they affect the present. We’ve got the blueprint for the past- why would we want to repeat those mistakes?”
Elliot notes some kids become unintentionally dissuaded from joining Band. “Band has been ostracized by popular media. I think some kids are reluctant because they believe unless they’ve been playing an instrument since childhood, it’s too late. But I’m the perfect example. My experience shows anyone can get pretty good with dedication and practice. There are people in beginning band who started a few months ago, and they’re making great strides.”
Tax-deductible to support the Play-A-Thon may be made out to Ukiah High ASB, with BAND written in the memo. They can be mailed c/o Audrey McCombs, 1000 Low Gap Rd., Ukiah CA 95482. For information email amccombs@uusd.net.
Hence then, the article about ukiah high marching band 24 hour fundraiser next month was published today ( ) and is available on Ukiah Daily Journal ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Ukiah High marching band 24-hour fundraiser next month )
Also on site :