The audience went wild at the debut of the music video by some Grade 9 band students from Lake City Secondary — Columneetza Campus.
“The applause went on forever,” said proud band teacher Dena Baumann.
The video debuted for friends and family during an evening band concert at the school on Dec. 2.
The students gathered the next morning outside of class to talk about the making of the video, which they said came together with only a few weeks to go before the deadline.
“I wanted you to have that experience because when you play live, you get this energy back from the audience and that helps you with your confidence,” Baumann told the students.
Posting things online, she said this experience is not the same and doesn’t provide the same opportunity for audience engagement.
“You’re just remarkable young folks and you deserve some recognition.”
The students Baumann selected for the project decided if they wanted to participate or not, and then voted on the song they would learn and perform for the video from the list of songs on the CBC contest website.
The students chose Working for the Weekend by Loverboy, a classic tune from the 80s that happens to turn 40 in 2021, and the video is done in classic 80s style.
“I felt inspired by these kids,” said Baumann.
“I chose them because they’re kids that can throw it together quickly,” she said of her last-minute decision to create the video. “It was a really spontaneous: ‘You, you, you, you, you — let’s do this.’”
Each student brought something to the group, which was made up of: Eric Bowman on drums, James Sterne on saxophone, Jessabelle Trelenberg on alto saxophone, Katie French also on alto saxophone, Addison Thomas on bass guitar, Tyler Kitsul on trumpet, Caleb Matchett on lead vocals, Ashton Foote on guitar, Gavin Brown on piano and Journey Carlson-Campbell on guitar and vocals.
It was the first time a band class at the school had made a video for the contest, something CBC has been running for a number of years.
The video was an extracurricular project and the group practiced during lunch hour and after school, but only had a few rehearsals before they met to record the video.
The day they filmed, Baumann brought some items from her tickle trunk and a few moms contributed classic 80s pieces as well. Some students even crimped their hair for authenticity.
They all agreed they would do it again.
The group wants to continue to make music together, and Baumann said it has increased some of the students’ confidence.
“Journey had never sung into a mic and now has had two live performances,” said Baumann proudly.
Rick Magnell and Brent Morton (Bell Tower Audio) provided the video and sound expertise, and it was paid for through the Medieval Market funds which Baumann can apply for through her volunteer work at the market each year.
“They really did a professional job of mastering that,” said Baumann.
The video can be viewed on YouTube under the title “Working for the Weekend” - Lake City Secondary School Band Program’s The Red Coats.
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ruth.lloyd@wltribune.com
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