Lakeside High School’s Band Presents Spring Concerts May 16 & 17

Photos by Lynn Kessler

Students in Lakeside High School’s award-winning band program will present their final public concerts of the school year at 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, May 16 and 17 in the school’s Fine Arts Auditorium. The students, ranging from freshmen to seniors, will play a mix of classic pieces and pop tunes, under the musical direction of Dr. David Fairchild and assistant band director Daniel MacNamara. Younger students will perform May 16, while the more experienced musicians will take the stage May 17. Both concerts are free to the public, although donations are welcomed. The school is located at 3801 Briarcliff Road, Atlanta, GA 30345. www.facebook.com/lakesidevikingband/

On Thursday, May 16, Lakeside’s Gold, Purple and Symphonic II Bands will present music from The Lion King and Greatest Showman, as well as Scarborough Fair and a piece featuring Lakeside senior James Armfield on piano. On Friday, May 17, the musicians will continue a new tradition initiated three years ago by Dr. Fairchild, Lakeside’s director of bands and Fine Arts Department chairman. In addition to musical selections by Lakeside’s Symphonic Band I, the evening will feature performances by music students from many of the elementary schools in the Lakeside “cluster” and from Henderson Middle School. Highlights of the evening will include Marquez’s Danson No. 2 and America the Beautiful with a dramatic reading by Technical Sergeant Duane Farnham from the Air National Guard Band of the South.

“The spring concerts are the culmination of nine months of musical education, performances, marching band competitions, parades and so much more for our hard-working band students,” said Dr. Fairchild. “The two concerts are designed to feature different musical selections and showcase different students so parents, friends and neighbors are encouraged to come to both performances. For the third year, we are delighted to host the community’s younger music students. The annual ‘Cluster Concert’ gives the elementary and middle school band students the opportunity to experience the band program at the high school level, and it’s fun for our older students to look back and see how far they have come with their music education. By bringing the elementary, middle and high school students together for one gala performance, we hope to inspire all of the musicians to continue to enjoy music through high school and beyond.”

The band program is concluding its 53rd year in DeKalb County. Throughout each school year, the students perform during halftime at Lakeside’s football games and present a number of public concerts. They also perform in local parades and festivals, including DragonCon and the Inman Park Festival. Often, they are the only high school band invited to perform at these events. The band also travels together, including recent trips to Hawaii to perform at the Pearl Harbor Memorial and to Orlando, Fl. to play a cinematic soundtrack on a movie stage along with a feature film.

“DeKalb County is extremely fortunate that Lakeside High School offers an outstanding Band program under the direction of Dr. David Fairchild and assistant direction from Daniel MacNamara, both of whom began their music careers when they were Lakeside students themselves,” said Ellen Murkison, president of the Lakeside Band Association. “In addition to the many awards and accolades the Band has won over the years, I think the strongest measure of its success is that most of Lakeside’s band students join the program as freshmen and stay involved until they graduate. They form strong friendships, have fun and work as a team as they learn how to play one or more instruments. I encourage everyone to attend the spring concerts and support these hard-working music students.”