LHS Band: Best Band

What’s your favorite part of Thanksgiving? The food? Seeing family? Black Friday deals? Or is it the legendary Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade? 

Many people love to watch the parade because of the giant floats and balloons, or maybe the band. If that’s the case, this year you should keep an eye out for Lebanon Tiger Oliver Hutcheson. 

He was able to audition and then was selected for the Thanksgiving Day Parade Band, Oliver is the first student from Lebanon High School to play in this Band. However he’s not the first person from LHS to play, the new band director Mr. Kessler used to play in the band as well. 

Sam Piper was also able to achieve a spot on the IJEA All District Jazz Band, playing bass. Sam actually said “I hadn’t initially thought about doing it, but Mr. Kessler asked me if I would want to try for the bass, and I’m glad I decided to.”

This is no small decision, the band takes a lot of time and commitment. Sam said he got the music for their concert a few weeks ago and has been practicing almost if not every day since, this Saturday they are going to be having their first group practice which will last for 8 hours. 

Another great band achievement from the LHS is Conner Bigler’s spot as the first alternate to the Honors Performance Series Orchestra. 

This an amazing achievement because there’s only three spots on the band for saxophones, which is what Conner plays, so as first alternate he’s 4th out of all the people who tried out. Conner said that even some people from different countries try out for this band. 

The most exciting part, Conner says, about this experience is that he might get the chance to go to and maybe even play at Carnegie Hall, one of the most famous concert stages in New York.

Conner was also in Sam’s position last year as he was one of the Saxophones for the IJEA All District Jazz Band. 

With an already impressive band all together at the LHS but this just proves how much they really can do as individuals as well.