Good Music and Good Friendships: The KRG Big Band Visits Hanover High School
By Anne C. Thompson
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| KRG Big Band performs with the HHS Wind Ensemble. Photo: Una Shworak. |
Last week, the KRG Big Band visited Hanover High School. These musicians hailed from Neustadt, in southwest Germany. Although its name translates as “New Town,” Neustadt would only be considered new if one thinks of the 13th century as recent history, as the Princes of Fürstenberg founded the city in 1250. Its multitude of vineyards account for its main industry: winemaking. KRG stands for “Kurfürst-Ruprecht-Gymnasium.” In this context, a “gymnasium” is a secondary school, equivalent to our high school.
In the early 2000s, a family from Neustadt was visiting Hanover for the year. The daughter and son were involved in chorus and orchestra, respectively. They had such a positive experience that they realized the potential of forming a musical and cultural connection between our two high school music programs, and the idea of formally establishing an exchange program with KRG was born.
Our band directors started discussing the particulars and details that would be involved. In the fall of 2003, the first exchange took place, with the German band coming here in the fall and our wind and strings group traveling to Neustadt in the spring.
These exchanges were very successful, and two more joint exchanges followed. Our jazz band, wind ensemble, and string orchestra have all taken part, with about 40 students traveling each time. Hanover students have had incomparable extracurricular experiences visiting Neustadt, such as playing in a marketplace and giving a joint concert in a 13th-century church. Now the program is expanding, with language students now being exchanged as well. Hopefully, this affiliation will continue through Herr Goodall-Heising and the German program.
On the night of October 7th, we were treated to a spectacular performance by the Big Band, including old and new favorites “I Wish,” featuring dynamo vocals; “Thriller”; and “September,” played with Hanover High’s own wind ensemble. After hearing the impressive solos and sound, it was not surprising to learn that the KRG band is audition-based and that each member has two lessons a week, not to mention daily rehearsing and individual practice. The KRG Big Band has 25-30 spots, with players from grades 10 to 13.
When not rehearsing or performing, the visiting band students’ activities included spending downtime with their host families, shopping in Hanover, visiting the Hood Museum of Art, hiking picturesque Mt. Tom, touring the Quechee Gorge, and attending a very enjoyable potluck/bonfire hosted by the Cook family. The day before the concert, the band members also attended classes with their hosts. When asked how our school compared to theirs, several of them commented, “All you do in class is talk, doing all the work at home.” They added that in Germany, classes are much more work-based, with more teacher-directed methods and fewer discussion-based classes. Their school day lasts from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., though some of them take afternoon classes as well. Their general consensus was that “America is very cool.” Their main impressions were that people here are very friendly and open-minded, and that they have a good sense of community.
The exchange is summed up best, perhaps, by Hanover High School band director Norman Wolfe: “The exchange is very smooth, and the kids are very compatible, having lots of fun making good music and good friendships.”