Liberty’s band put on a “pre-contest” concert on Feb. 19 to showcase their upcoming competition as well as to their incoming band members. Their main piece was “Chorale and Shaker Dance,” a very complex and layered piece of music.

“It’s a really challenging piece, and it’s taken a lot of work, practice, and dedication to be able to play it successfully,” sophomore Abby Shields a tuba player, said. “We still aren’t perfect, but hopefully, we’ll be able to play it well at large ensemble festival.”

The concert opened with the jazz band on stage, playing “How High the Moon,” which was received with large applause from the audience. Next, the middle school band entered the stage and played their pieces, showcasing the talent they will be bringing to the table next school year.

“Our middle school band (is) great and I can’t wait to perform with the upcoming freshman because there’s a lot of potential,” junior Cody Holtschlag, a percussion player, said.

The high school band then took the stage to play “Chorale and Shaker Dance,” as well as “Aces of the Air,” a song they have been working on for a few months.

“(Chorale & Shaker Dance is) a great song. It has many different styles of music within it and when played correctly it definitely moves you,” said senior Analia Edwin, also a percussion player.

They will be performing “Chorale and Shaker Dance” at the Large Ensemble Competition on March 7 at Holt High School, as they have in past years.

“Large ensemble is generally a fun experience, but it’s nerve-wracking and intense at times,” Shields said. “After we perform, we have to sight read (read a piece of music for the first time as a whole) a piece as an ensemble. That’s what killed us last year, but we’ve had a lot of practice with sight reading this year, so I feel we can do much better.”