The Galena High School Band faced a major change as renovations began on the band room, forcing them to relocate temporarily to the old gym at the newly built GEMS. While the improvements to their space will provide an exciting future for the department, the transition has brought challenges and unexpected adjustments for students.
The band, which typically practices in the band room at the high school, was notified last year that they would have to relocate by the end of February. The construction aims to improve the space with better acoustics, more storage, and more practice rooms for students to use. The construction is expected to last through the summer. With the band room temporarily unavailable, the school arranged for the band to practice at the elementary-middle school gym. “Being in the bigger space really changes our sound…” said Brady Turner 25’ ”But I think it will help prepare us for our upcoming concert better, and I am glad we found a way to still practice even without our room.”
Some of the biggest challenges the band faces in their temporary location are sound quality, students not used to walking up, and long set-up times. Unlike the high school band room, which was designed for music practice, the elementary-middle school gym has high ceilings and hard floors that cause sound to echo. This can affect the sound quality quite a bit.
Another issue has been arrival times. With the band now meeting at a different school, students have to make sure they allow themselves enough time to get to the school. Despite the inconvenience, many students are keeping a positive outlook. “I really enjoy band being in the Middle School…” said Claudia Liberg 25’, “It gives it a whole new sound and feeling.”
In the meantime, the band is focusing on preparing for the upcoming Spring Concert on April 29th and Solo and Ensemble on March 8th.
Renovations on the high school band room are expected to be completed before or during the next school year, and when they return, students will have a new space to enjoy. Until then, the band will continue to make the most of their temporary practice location.
