His academic schedule conflicted with his high school s band periods, Cassarino said. We gave him a chance to play he otherwise would have missed. The band follows the college s schedule, rehearsing while school is in session and holding a concert at the end of each semester. When school is out of session, so is the band. The college finances the band.
Students receive an academic credit for performing.
Cassarino said he had 38 musicians at the group s concert in November, and expects to have a similar number at the spring concert, slated for late April or early May. When all is said and done, I expect to have 30 to 40 musicians for the spring concert, he said. It always takes people a few weeks to get into the swing of coming to rehearsals. Cassarino said there is no particular instrument the band is lacking, but new members are always welcome. At the fall concert, the band performed highlights from Richard Rogers State Fair, Jacques Offenbach s Overture to the Lantern Marriage and Renaissance-era brass compositions.