Anchor Bay High School - Instrumental Music Program

Instrumental Music Program

Anchor Bay's music program, led by P. David Visnaw II, includes a Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, and Marching Band. In 2006, Anchor Bay was listed in "Best 100 Communities for Music Education" Roster.

• The Concert Band is a full-year course designed to help young musicians develop the basic technical aspects of the instrument while improving their overall musicianship. The band is composed of woodwinds, brass, and percussion, and will rehearse and perform a wide variety of music and styles.

• The Symphonic Band is a full-year intermediate ensemble composed of woodwinds, brass and percussion. The band's members will be selected through an audition process or teacher recommendation. This class performs a wide variety of music and styles. Obligations to this class include after-school performances and rehearsals.

• The Wind Ensemble is a full-year advanced ensemble composed of woodwinds, brass and percussion. The Wind Ensemble's members are selected through a successful audition, and rehearse and perform various styles of music such as classical, pop, marches, jazz, and contemporary, among others. The music that is rehearsed and performed is at a greater difficulty level, and thus, requires that its members be more dedicated while displaying a high level of technical ability. In January 2006 and 2011, the Wind Ensemble will be attending the Michigan Music Conference in Grand Rapids to play as a showcase high school band. The ensemble will have the opportunity to play at DeVos Hall in front of hundreds of instrumental teachers.

• The Jazz Ensemble is an advanced jazz music ensemble that selects its members through an audition process, and meets for the entire year. This ensemble is made up of trumpets, trombones, saxophones, and a rhythm section (guitar, piano, bass, drum-set). The band focuses on rehearsing and performing various styles of jazz, R&B, swing, rock, and fusion, among myriad others. Time is also spent on the development and implementation of improvisation skills, along with the basic knowledge of music theory. The Jazz Ensemble performs in the community as well as at the Central Michigan University Jazz Weekend, at MSBOA Jazz Festival, and at Winter and Spring concerts.

• The Marching Band is a musical marching unit that meets during the first semester. The ensemble consists of woodwinds, brass, percussion, and a color guard. The Marching Band provides entertainment at local parades, home football games, Pre-Festival Invitationals, and participation at District 16 MSBOA Band Festival. Students are also obligated to attend summer marching camp. The ensemble rehearses mid-August through mid-October. They were featured live on Fox 2 News during a powder puff pep rally on September 21, 2007. The Tars were voted number one out of ten high schools in the Metro Detroit area to be showcased on Fox 2's Pep Rally Fridays Morning broadcast.

The foundation for the success of Anchor Bay's Instrumental Music program perhaps came in the form of a "re-boot" that occurred in the fall of 1986. After a number of years of comparative inactivity in the music program, Anchor Bay hired a new music director named Randy Casteel. Prior to this, Anchor Bay had no elementary music education, no junior high music program, and the high school band had less than 20 members. Casteel started an elementary and junior high program. He also recruited six junior high students with prior musical experience for the high school band.

In its first six years, the program grew significantly. The marching band, once a group of less than twenty that marched in t-shirts and jeans, grew to over 150 members and had traveled internationally to perform and compete. A high school symphonic band, concert band, jazz band, and wind ensemble were formed. In the first six years of this re-booted program, all of Anchor Bay's high school bands scored straight 1's in every competition they entered.