Harvest of Harmony Preview: Elm Creek Buffaloes
ELM CREEK, Neb. — The Harvest of Harmony Parade is only days away, and like many bands across the state, the Elm Creek marching band has been rehearsing since the beginning of the school year to give it their all this upcoming Saturday.
A total of 32 students from middle school and high school are coming together for this performance. They described the Harvest of Harmony Parade as their pinnacle performance of the marching season.
“You are doing all the teamwork, you are putting in the work, you are practicing, and you have a bunch of other people doing the same thing, you are making this super beautiful music and cool visuals," said Olivia Kitterman, the 5-12 band director at Elm Creek Public Schools.
But to perform, many hours go into practicing to make sure their feet and music go at the same rhythm. A lot of their rehearsals take place during class time: they practice music first, then marching and then they go outdoors and practice everything together. Kitterman meets with the middle school students first, and then she meets with the high school students.
"Compared to last year, this year we have 10 more students marching, which is awesome," Kitterman said. "The band is 75% middle school students; hopefully as we continue to grow, that number will get bigger."
“It takes quite a lot of work, especially for our 7th and 8th graders who have never done this before," said senior Anjolina Purdy. Purdy has been playing the saxophone since 8th grade.
Kitterman's parents were band directors as well, and she said in a way she is "following the legacy."
“It’s a big deal to me to be able to see the improvement in these kids every single day and the funny things they do,” Kitterman said. “Watching them succeed at different marching events and other band events later in the year, it just fills my heart."
The band has a lot of hopes for their upcoming performance, like getting the fundamentals right.
“I’m just hoping we can score a little better than last year; there’s always stuff we can work on like feet while marching," Kitterman said. "Just improvement, that’s what I’m looking for.”
With not even rain stopping their rehearsals, students said they are glad they can get ready to perform at the Harvest of Harmony Parade.
“To keep that going would be awesome," Purdy said, referring to the Harvest of Harmony Parade. "We can keep that tradition alive and keep the bands in focus."
Another student, 7th grader Jaden Trampe, has been playing the baritone since 4th grade. He said he thinks it's important to keep the Harvest of Harmony Parade alive so people keep enjoying of the music students make while marching.
