By Quincy Chinen and Reica Ramirez for Mount Carmel School’s Introduction to Media Communications Course
Mount Carmel School’s Band, led by music teacher Julian Greening, is all set to attend and compete in the Tumon Bay Music Festival that will be held on Guam from February 28th to March 9th.
This will be Guam’s 14th annual Tumon Bay Band Music Festival. The production was founded by Mr. Maximo Ronquillo, Jr., the 8th Music Director of the Guam Territorial Band. Roquillo has collaborated with MCS many times before with musicals like Anastasia, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and White Christmas, but this will be the first time the school will be performing and competing at the festival founded by Ronquillo.
Many parents of band members are excited about the upcoming trip. Parent and teacher, Filmah Buenaflor says,“I love it that my son, Toby, participates in band. I see that he loves what he’s learning. I’ve also read that students who participate in band are more likely to have higher reading, reading comprehension, and math scores.”.
Additionally, Larissa Steele, parent of Lyssa Steele, says that she sees her daughter improving in her instrument and loves watching her perform on stage.
Greening’s purpose for establishing the band program at Mount Carmel school was to inspire young students in developing their musical skills and gain more passionate experiences in the art of music. By introducing the music program, Greening believes that many students will be interested in music because of the insightful lessons and influential experiences learned from it
Practices include music lessons and preparation for upcoming school and island-wide performances. Aside from the music festival, the band is preparing for the Spring Band Concert that will be held in May. From these practices, Greening hopes that they will be well-prepared in performing in front of a crowd, especially crowds off-island. He believes that this traveling experience to compete and perform will get them more exposed and committed to the art of music.
Greening hopes to give the students an exciting experience that incorporates learning the skills to develop as talented musicians. He says, “I believe that bringing students to Guam for this music festival will be a great way to interact with musicians on Guam. It will also be a great opportunity for the students to play in front of a big crowd away from home.”
While the band has secured some federal funding for the trip, the band is open to donations. Any donations made will be highly appreciated and used for any band activities and performances. For any additional information, you can email Julian Greening at julian.greening86@gmail.com.
