Down to the Last Note

The final band concert of Newark Junior High School closed with a roar of applause from a completely standing audience.

It was a moment that pleased Band Director Andre Ehling.

“I wanted to end the year strong,” he said.

More than 150 people filled the cafeteria of thel to watch the advanced band play numbers by composers Carl Stronmen, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and others.

Parents and students alike tapped their feet as the 47 young musicians performed.

Each band member received a trophy, while parents as well as Ehling were recognized for their dedication to making the band program a success.

Newark Band Booster President Lorie Mohs said that without Ehling and parent volunteers, band would not have earned its excellent reputation.

“The hard work of all the students and parent volunteers made band what it has been this year,” Mohs said.

Turning to Ehling moments later, Mohs added, “We all appreciate your love and attention to our children.”

Tuesday’s concert marked the last of the school’s music programs unless they are reinstated in the future.

Both the choir and band programs at Newark Junior High for the 2011-12 school year as a result of budget cuts.

Both students and parents are feeling the impact of the cuts.

Seventh grader Ellie Harter will likely begin the 2011-12 school year without band on her class schedule.

She said she has made several friends through the program and that she will miss being a part of band. Her favorite part, though, has been the art of music itself.

“You start with just a sheet of dots, and you end up with music,” she said. 

Her mother, Dianna Harter, said music has been part of Ellie’s life since she was in third grade and has been a positive thing for her daughter.

“It provides a creative outlet and educational benefits—and she had a liking for it,” Harter said.

Harter plans to continue providing a musical outlet for Ellie by seeking opportunities to develop her musical talents outside of school hours.

For band director Ehling, the loss of the junior high music program is poignant.

“The end of the year is when you prepare for next year. I can’t do that completely. It’s kind of hard and confusing in that sense,” Ehling said.

Regardless, he said, he has enjoyed watching his junior high students, many of whom he taught when they were in elementary school, grow and develop into the musicians they are today.

“This is the time when they start to explore what they want to do in the future,” Ehling said. “If they can’t explore music, they might go another way.”