Mira Costa Band Takes On New Beginnings

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA —The Mira Costa Bands and Colorguard programs are back in school and excited to be there, according to Andrea Custer, the co-president of the Mira Costa Bands & Guard Booster.

"The pandemic was hard on our band students," Custer told Patch. "Zoom learning isn't conducive to performing live because there's a sound latency. The students are used to playing together as a group, but online, they were playing in silence."

In addition, the students who played wind instruments were not permitted to play at live, outdoor events due to Department of Health guidelines. "They would attend the events, but they would pretend to play," Custer said. "It was not a joyous time for them."

To announce their return and plans for future events, band director Joel Carlson has released a video to the community (see video below).

"We are hoping that the video will get families excited once again about the music opportunities Mira Costa has to offer as well as all of the exciting events that the bands and Colorguard will be participating in," Custer said.

Here's what's ahead for the Mira Costa Bands and Colorguard:

• The Stadium Concert at Mira Costa High School, June 3: Families of band and guard students may attend in person, tickets are $15 each. The event will be live-streamed to the Mira Costa Bands YouTube channel.
• Monster Mashup at Mira Costa High School, Fall 2021
• The Hollywood Christmas Parade, December 2021
• The President's Cup National Concert Band Festival in Washington, D.C., Spring 2022
• The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Parade in Honolulu, Hawaii, Spring 2023

The Parade Band is also scheduled to participate in the Manhattan Beach Hometown Fair parade and at Disneyland.

Under the direction of Joel Carlson, the GRAMMY® award-winning Mira Costa Bands are part of the comprehensive music department at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, CA, and have been hailed by professional critics and adjudicators alike for fantastic performances of advanced high school, collegiate and professional repertoire in concerts, festivals and competitions from coast to coast. The bands have entertained crowds of thousands at large concert venues in the South Bay and were featured in their Carnegie Hall debut on the Spring 2016 Concert Series of Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY).

It is not too late to sign up for band and Colorguard programs for next year, according to Custer.

For more information, go to MiraCostaBands.com.