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A Philharmonic Concert for the Band STORY: LEIGH NEELY
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he Leesburg High School Band—the Swarm of Sound—is going to Washington, D.C. for the elite President’s Cup High School Concert Band Invitational in March 2017. One of only eight bands across the country is invited, and the “most accomplished high school music programs” will spend a day with the Soldier-Musicians of “Pershing’s Own,” The United States Army Band. On a cool October afternoon, the Leesburg High School Band was doing warm ups in preparation for three hours of marching practice. “The kids are focused on marching right now,” says Gabriel Fielder, the band’s director. “In class, we’re getting ready for indoor concerts.” Band members were surprised, however, when Paula Vargas, a volunteer with the band who lives in The Villages, stepped up to the podium and announced, “I have a little surprise for the concert band. This is Jean Butler, conductor of The Villages
