The Mayfield Concert Band is evolving into a new, more complex three-band system for the 2015 concert season.

The decision was made last year by band director Nathan Oshaben. He said, “As students are at many different ability levels, and as the size of the band necessitates breaking into more than two bands, the Mayfield high school band program has made the decision to split into three, just as many of the schools around us [have].”

There were over 100 potential incoming freshmen considering the band program at Mayfield, and the original two-band system couldn’t support a group of over 180 musicians.  In order to provide the best musical education for every student, Oshaben decided to divide the group into three bands: Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, and Freshman Band.

Commenting on the purpose of the band as a whole, Oshaben said, “Our goal for band is to have our students play as musically as possible, regardless of the band in which they play.”

So what is the purpose of having three different bands?

Oshaben said, “Every band is continuing the development of fundamental skills and concepts. The three bands are doing them, however, at three different levels of difficulty.”

The most advanced band is the wind ensemble, directed by Oshaben. This group consists largely of seniors and juniors, who have developed their skills throughout high school. However, wind ensemble is also open to freshmen and sophomores that excel with their instruments.

The midlevel group is the concert band, directed by Brian Fancher. These students are arguably the most diverse band in the program, as there are a number of students from every grade represented here. This group serves as the bridge between the freshman band and the wind ensemble; it is focuses on improving upon the musical base established in the freshman band.

The freshman band –directed by Mary Alice Bright—is the newly added group. It is made up primarily of freshmen and focuses on creating a musical basis for use throughout high school. The purpose of this band is to help the new students adapt to the process of concert band, providing the skill set that the students will need as they progress musically.

The separation of the band program into three parts has been accepted quickly by the older members of the band. Wind ensemble student Alyson Korsten said, “I think it’s more beneficial to have [the bands] separate, so that the directors will be able to work with the students more individually.”

The growing population of the band has also been noted. Junior Laurel Coppersmith said, “I think it’s nice [that there are three bands] because we have a lot more freshman this year…so it might be nice to split it up.”

Each band has worked on its own set of holiday music, including both holiday classics and more pop-culture centered pieces that represent both Chanukah and Christmas. The most recent performance by the Mayfield Band was on Dec. 16, and it showcased all three of Mayfield’s bands together for the first time.