What’s recently happened?
On May 10, Morgan Township High School’s four different bands put on a show-stopping performance for parents all around the county to enjoy. The Morgan Jazz Combo, composed of five students, blew the crowd away with their heartstring-pulling ballads.
All of the students that are involved in the Morgan Jazz Combo are also participants in the Morgan Concert Band. To be a member of the Jazz Combo, students must be dedicated to learning the basics before diving into the group.
Morgan’s Concert Band class teaches students of any age from sixth grade to senior year all about the techniques, tricks, and essentials to learning a concert band instrument such as the trumpet or clarinet. Many of the students at Morgan have been band members since sixth grade. This year’s group of seniors includes three very talented students, two of which are trumpet players, the third being an alto saxophone player.
Throughout this year, band seniors have taught by example and encouraged many younger students and underclassmen to stick with band and give it their all. The leadership shown this year from the graduates will stick with young band members for years to come, and just maybe they will pass on the same energy to those under them in upcoming years.
Needless to say, Morgan’s bands have surely outdone themselves and shown Porter County what they can really do. With high hopes for the future, Morgan bands continue to work day-in and day-out to improve more and more.
What’s Coming Up?
With graduation just around the corner, seniors all around the Region are gearing up for the tear-jerking speeches and heart-warming hugs as they prepare to go out into the world.
This month, seniors are making plans left and right for open houses, college campus tours, moving dates, and trying harder than ever not to overlap their celebration with an adversaries. Watch out food caterers – the seniors are here and hungry!
Caps and gowns are being tossed from every which way to ensure every senior gets the walk that they’ve been daydreaming about in class since seventh grade. But be sure to watch out, since a large number of senioritis cases have been growing rapidly in these last few weeks of school!
Staff Spotlight:
Darren Day is the band teacher here at Morgan Township. Day has been a teacher at Morgan for four years as of 2022. Before coming to Morgan, though, Day worked as a band director at River Forest High School for five years, and Knox Middle/High School for six years.
Day has always had a passion for music and wishes to pass that on to his students. Day consistently preaches on how he sees all music as just that – music. Whether it be jazz, latin rock, orchestra, chorale, or pop, Day appreciates all genres of music for their unique features.
“The world needs artists! Artists are responsible for everything beautiful and cultural in our world. It is my mission to teach young people how to play instruments and prepare them to play music after high school,” Day said.
A day in the life of a high school band director consists of five separate middle/high school bands as well as elementary general music classes. Aside from curricular bands, Day also is the leader of marching band, drumline, and Morgan’s popular pep band.
In relation to the most recent concert, Day recalls the hard work and dedication each student put in to make the concert the best it could possibly be.
“I'm so proud of our students for performing at the highest level they can. Morgan students give their all and I couldn't ask for anything more. I want my students to know that I appreciate every note we play together and I want nothing more for them than to keep playing notes forever.“ Day said.
Clearly, Day keeps his students as his number one priority at all times. The welcoming and amiable environment Day strives to create is exactly what captivates the musical students of Morgan. Day’s bands mean business in times of performance, but similar to how they work, Day’s bands play just as hard.
During the summer months, Day ensures that the opportunities to play never end. Summer Fun Band is just one of the excellent options that students get the chance to participate in.
“I want all my students to know that I love them. I understand that there is more to life than music but I hope music stays a part of their lives,” Day said.
Student Spotlight:
Carson Quick is a senior at Morgan Township High School and happens to be a band member as well. As an alto saxophone player from grade six, Quick has grown in both the band and in his musical skills alone from the seven years of dedicated presence. Through this growth, Quick developed a love for composing music of his own.
In Morgan’s most recent concert, Quick composed, taught, and conducted his very own musical piece by the name “Knight vs. Smoke." This piece originated from the super-hero-like characters that Quick and his closest friends created.
The comrades built whole story lines and confrontations from these characters. Two characters in particular are main characters in these stories. Quick recalls writing musical pieces about these characters individually, and coming to the idea of pitting them against each other.
“One of those 'fights' as I called it was with a hero named Knight versus a villain named Smoke,” Quick said.
This piece was one of suspense, constant shift, victory, and, as some would say, musical genius. Audience members of Morgan were taken aback with excitement at the sight of a student stepping into such a dynamic role.
Quick’s love for writing music is what he hopes to see in other students in the future.
“I would love to see more band kids write their own songs and potentially even have the Morgan bands play them,“ Quick said.