Palatine High School band program seeks new members
No high school sporting event is complete without the band playing in the stands, cheering the athletes on. Palatine High School is no exception and the band is always looking for new members.
The bands at Palatine have won many awards and are at every home game all season long. The program is made up of three parts, a holy trinity some might say; the directors, the drum majors and the students themselves.
There are two directors, Carlos Esquivel, the head director and Marisa Rentner, the assistant director. Rentener is the band's newest addition, taking on her first year as assistant director this school year. Then there's the drum majors, senior, Tristan Osterhues, senior, Nate Carlson, and junior, Meghan Woell.
"I absolutely love it here, the students have made it really welcoming and enjoying," commented Rentner, when asked about how things were going with her new position.
Rentner aspires to be the head of a band one day, but is very happy where she is at the moment.
"One day I'd like to. I'm enjoying my position here, it's nice to have mentors to help me along the way," Rentner said.
"My favorite part about band is the positive attitude everyone brings in, which makes us like one big family," Tristan Osterhues said. In addition to being drum major, Osterhues plays tenor saxophone.
"She is a proficient teacher and she's also fun to work with as a drum major and a student." Osterhues said.
The students welcomed Rentner warmly and are loving what she's brought to the program. Though the band seems to have nothing but good times, there are some struggles, especially when it comes to appreciation for the arts.
"Fans and parents seem like they enjoy the band more than the student body, color guard and poms too. They're under appreciated. Even in the highlight films, band isn't included at all," Osterhues said.
Recently, most of the students seem to care far more about sports than they do the arts. The band program deserves just as much recognition as the sporting events. They work their butts off to play the best they can, just like other athletes. Band students are more athletes of the mind.
"The student section brought their own speaker in, they were playing music over us, and they'd be doing cheers while we'd be performing at halftime. This year has been better, but not by much," Osterhues explained.
Other band students are feeling this neglect for respect as well, but don't let it get them down in the long run.
Adam Huston, a junior in the band shared how he chose his instrument, the french horn. "I really just liked the way it sounded and my dad plays it too, which kind of helped me make the decision."
Senior Rebecca Behrendt chose her instrument in a bit of an unconventional way. "I had a dream where I was playing the clarinet and I was really good at it, so when I woke up I knew what I was going to play." Said Behrendt.
Each student has their own way of picking out their perfect instrument and jumping in with the band.
Debbie Lidstrom, a senior flutist, has been a part of the band since her freshman year and has loved every second of it. "My favorite part of being involved in band is all the friendships," Said Lindstrom. "It's a great place to be."
The band at Palatine High School is special. In addition to having more than five award winning bands and a growing program of over one hundred students, they are a community of music loving teenagers who just want to play their music to the best of their ability.
The students of the Palatine High School band have found their calling and have been having the time of their lives, along with their fantastic directors and amazing drum majors. So what are you waiting for? Jump on the bandwagon.
Editors note: The article was written by Palatine High School student Rachel Stoffel.