Photos by Annphia Shelton, Staff Writer
Article by Keila Perez, Staff Writer
Another annual tradition made its return to KUSD on Jan. 29, after facing cancellation in 2021 due to the pandemic: Band-O-Ra-ma.
While it wasn’t the full experience due
to precautions taken to protect against the
COVID’s aggressive variant still filling local hospitals with infected patients, the limited version was better than not having any performance at all, students said.
The reunion of making music together did come with several twists.
What usually is a two-day event was limited to just one day.
Instead of starting around mid-afternoon, Band-O-Rama began at 7:45 a.m. with only the youngest band members and their families who then left once their performance ended.
Missing were all the grades together, like years before, to hear each other’s songs and see how much they’ve grown. And missing were the high schoolers who would have stood and given a round of applause to the younger kids’ performance in support.
Glenn Madrigrano, a General Studies junior and clarinet player for Symphonic Winds, said it felt different this year with the audience so much smaller than previous years.
Madrigrano missed watching the middle schoolers perform their songs, he said.
Samatha Uelmen, a General Studies senior and trombone player who performed in Wind Ensemble, Concert Band and Symphonic Winds, also noted the return felt different this year, especially when all the grades didn’t perform “Stars and Stripes Forever” together.
“It didn’t feel like the full experience as in past years,” she said.
Uelmen’s favorite memory from being in the band was from her sophomore year, before COVID hit. The high school band performed the theme from “Star Wars” and she was with all her friends and saw how everyone watched their performance.
“A song that everyone knows … It was a really fun experience, especially seeing all the younger kids go, ‘Oh my gosh, I know that song,’” she said. “That’s another thing I miss, just seeing the young kids, fifth graders especially. Or even just standing up and applauding them for playing ‘Frog Song.’” Uelmen was happy that she at least got the chance to perform with the other high school students this year.
“I kind of wanted one more big one before I left for college,” Uelmen said. “I’m just sad it wasn’t the full experience.”
