WESTBROOK – Students in Westbrook High School’s Wind Ensemble play only a few notes before conductor Kyle Smith stops them.

“Remember, the second beat is louder,” he said to the students before raising his hands, a motion for the band to start again.

The wind ensemble is practicing for the upcoming National Association for Music Education biennial Eastern Division Conference, April 4-7 in Hartford, Conn. The ensemble will play at the conference on April 5 at 3:30 p.m. at the Connecticut Convention Center.

Every two years, the association holds a regional conference for the northeast and mid-Atlantic states, bringing together thousands of educators and professional development instructors. Hundreds of high schools across the area apply to play for the conference. Only two are chosen.

Two years ago, Smith said, the band applied but was not picked.

“It’s kind of like a once-in-a-lifetime deal to get to go perform at the convention. I’m really happy we’ve been selected. We applied two years ago. The group has gotten better since then,” Smith said.

“It’s pretty exciting for all of us, especially those in the group who were here before and went through the selection process. It’s fun to be able to share this with a great group of friends,” said Rachael Lloyd, 16, a flute player.

The band is working on two difficult pieces: “Prelude in E flat minor,” by Dmitri Shostakovich, and “Endurance,” by Timothy Mahr. The students will also play “Opus No. 1,” by John O’Hara, a Westbrook High School senior; “Country Gardens,” by Percy Grainger; and “Time Streams,” by Andrew Boysen Jr.

“It’s a big day for easing your conductor’s nerves,” Smith said.

Smith reminds students to sit up straight, and before a single note is played, the students do breathing exercises. Then they rehearse the melody of the songs by singing them.

Student teacher Josh Champagne of the University of Southern Maine has been working with Smith for eight weeks. He said the students sing because people are more inclined to stay in pitch. He’s also observed how Smith helped improve the band’s performance with each measure.

“These kids play at a very high level and their work ethic is just off the charts when compared to the average high school student,” said Champagne. “This piece [‘Prelude’] was pretty decent when I first came in. The other piece, ‘Endurance,’ they’ve done a lot of work and improved quite a lot.”

The two pieces are extremely difficult, according to Dr. Peter Martin, a professor of music at the University of Southern Maine, who was at the practice to observe Champagne and to offer his suggestions to improve students’ performances.

“This is a weighty piece,” said Martin about ‘Prelude.’ “The power in the piece is gained not from the power of individual tones. The power of the piece is gained by unity.”

Students will play for 25 minutes in front of the crowd of thousands of music educators. During that performance, Smith will pass the conducting wand off twice – once to his wife, middle school band director Krystal Smith, and once to South Portland High School band director Craig Skeffington, who conducted Smith in high school.

Westbrook High School band conductor Kyle Smith and his 46 students practice this week for the upcoming National Association for Music Education biennial Eastern Division Conference, April 4-7 in Hartford, Conn. Staff photo by Suzanne Hodgson

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