Last week on Sunday, Sept. 20, the Hollis Brookline High School Concert Band "worked alongside musicians from Souhegan, Milford and Campbell and harmoniously combined for a great day of music under the baton of Plymouth State professor Dr. Mark Stickney," said Dave Umstead, HB’s band teacher and coordinator of this event.

This was the sixth annual Band Fest coordinated by Umstead and acted as a great opportunity for all participants.

In order for such an event to happen, a lot of hard work is put in by both students and directors. Students first find out about the festival around one week prior to participating, soon after arriving at back to school.

These students, about 20 from each school, work diligently to learn eight songs. This year, the songs played included: "Homeward Bound," "Vertigo" and "Festivo," along with five other pieces.

Junior Caitlin Ross, a euphonium player at this year’s Band Fest, said "meeting people from other schools" was one of her favorite aspects of the event.

"I liked the whole thing," said junior Chris Aulbach, an HB tuba player. "But I liked the concert at the end because we got to listen to all of the hard work we’d put in over the past two weeks."

Though the band has other opportunities to take part in festivals like this one, they are often more exclusive, and only allowing a few students to participate.

Another helpful aspect about the Band Fest is that it is early in the fall, which Umstead said "Gives [the students] the opportunity to work with what they learn," throughout the rest of the school year.

"It’s good to have different experiences," Umstead said, which is one of the many reasons he continues to organize the event.

Maggie O’Hara is a junior at Hollis Brookline High School.