Carson students hit the high notes

Ben Oni, 13, looks forward every year to the Band-o-Rama concert, where fifth- through 12th-graders perform together in one cohesive show.

On one hand, he said, it's nice to learn from the more experienced players, but now that he's in middle school he has something to offer the younger students as well.

"When I see them, I remember what it was like to just be starting out," said the seventh-grade trumpet player. "So every time I do Band-o-Rama, I try to compliment them."

That's the value of the districtwide concert that has become a tradition in the Carson City School District, said Bordewich-Bray music teacher Alan Catron. In its 17th year, the concert was performed Thursday at Carson High School.

Each grade level performed numbers then they all came together for a grand finale.

"They get to hear the progression through the levels," Catron said. "Hopefully, the young kids get sparked when they hear good music."

In her inaugural Band-o-Rama appearance, Rheanna Jackson, 10, was excited to play her bass guitar to a packed house in the gymnasium.

"It's a lot of fun to play an instrument in front of everybody," she said.

For Kelsey Long, a 16-year-old sophomore who plays the clarinet, seeing the elementary school students puts her experience into perspective.

"It's totally different," she said. "You get to see where you started and where you are now."

Clarinet player Erika Sosa, 16, agreed.

"You feel so much more accomplished," she said. "You've proved yourself."

And that, said high school band director Jarod Sorum, is the value for the older students.

"They get to look back on the journey they've made," he said. "There's a lot of nostalgia."

But as a group, he said, they have something to offer that's greater than all the different pieces.

"It's a wonderful opportunity for us to showcase what band music is capable of," Sorum said.