The members of Tiger Blast and Ouachita Sounds are preparing for their annual concert in Jones Performing Arts Center.
Tiger Blast is a mixture of marching band, color guard and marching percussion techniques that is quickly becoming one of Ouachita’s most popular performing ensembles. The ensemble performs at Festival of Christmas, Tiger Tunes and local elementary schools.
“Dr. Hesse spends a lot of time looking through music and organizing it so audience members will enjoy the show,” said Deborah Caldwell, a junior instrumental music education major. “We spend the week before the performance meeting to memorize our music and put our choreography in.”
Caldwell said some of her favorite memories have come from being in the band.
“I love being with other band students and directors as we work together to create energetic shows,” she said. “It is an incredible time to have fun, work hard and get to know other people in the band.”
Alex Lomax, a junior biology major, said Tiger Blast is performing some of their fall marching show, like the song “Dynamite,” and a drum feature piece on buckets. They will also perform “I Like It” and “Body and Soul.”
Ouachita Sounds is a show choir that performs songs from a wide variety of genres, along with choreography. This year, Sounds performed at Festival of Christmas, the 125th Musical Showcase and the Hot Springs Country Club. They will travel and perform at churches throughout this semester.
“We rehearse two days a week for two hours each,” said Leslie Harper, director of Ouachita Sounds. “We started learning most of the music for this semester’s show last fall, so this semester we’ve taken class time and a few outside rehearsals to finalize the show.”
Music is not the only thing the members of Ouachita Sounds are making.
“I love the relationships I’ve formed with the director and other Sounds members; I think we all make a great team,” said Shay Michael, a junior musical theatre major, about the bonds she has made with the group.
For one performer, Ouachita Sounds provides an opportunity to get to know different people in the music department and develop special relationships.
“I love the people in the group,” said Bethany Swiontek, a junior musical theatre major. “They are some of the most wonderful and talented people I know, and I really love getting to come together with them to create and to perform.”
Harper said Sounds is performing a “West Side Story” medley and music by Rihanna, Adele, Prince and Eurythmics.
“There is something for every age at this concert,” Harper said. “I have always been impressed with Blast and their energy and stage appeal. The mix of Blast and Sounds will make for a stellar show.”
Picture by Callie Stephens.
