Pop concert to feature global flavor

    From the preshow dinner to the costumes to the musical selections, the Dodge High band department's 58th annual pop concert will have an international flavor.
    The band students chose "Around the World" as this year's theme, which appealed to them because it offered plenty of possibilities to work with, senior Kara Yoder said Monday.
    "It incorporated each student in their own way," said Yoder, who serves as the concert's president.
    The students said they began working on the concert in February and have spent hundreds of hours on preparations and rehearsal.
    The show will begin at 6:30 p.m. Friday with a meal in the DCHS commons area, followed by the concert in the auditorium.
    Tickets cost $7 for adults and $4 for children and students, and they are available either at the Dodge High athletics office or at the door. For more information, contact the athletic office at 227-1777.
    The first half of the show will be fairly formal, with the students wearing their concert attire. The music will consist of the concert bands' contest selections, followed by presentation of awards.
    The second half of the show will feature music reflecting the international theme, including "Around the World in 80 Measures," "Yorkshire Ballad" and "An American Tribute."
    The students will dress in costumes for the second half, which will include videotaped and live skits.
    The concert has traditionally taken place at the Civic Center, but the band department decided to move it to the high school this year to take advantage of the auditorium's acoustics.
    "The auditorium here — the way it's set up acoustically just allows the band to sound much better than the Civic Center, and I didn't want all their hard work musically to go to waste," said band director Erica Lindberg.
    She said moving the concert to the school will also make preparations easier.
    The students are in charge of this concert, handling every task from setting the menu for the preshow meal to advertising.
    The students said preparing for the concert was nerve-racking, since they are solely responsible for its success.
    "It's kind of just on us if it doesn't go well," said junior Katelyn Hamilton, the concert's vice president.
    Junior Patrick Crockett, co-chairman of the set committee, said he was looking forward to having the pop concert in the auditorium.
    "I'm excited for everybody to see what we can do at our house," he said. "Because we're comfortable here, so we're going to play better and perform better."

Reach Eric Swanson at (620) 408-9917 or e-mail him at eric.swanson@dodgeglobe.com.