Jacobs School of Music to perform at commencement

The band for commencement this year features about 50 members of the Jacobs School of Music, but only a handful are graduating tomorrow.\n“Every year the commencement band is one of the best around,” said band director Stephen W. Pratt. \nThe commencement band will accompany this year’s graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 5. There will be a morning ceremony at 10 a.m. and an afternoon ceremony at 3 p.m. Both ceremonies will take place in Assembly Hall, 1001 E. 17th St. \n“The commencement band has accompanied the ceremony for several years,” said Rachel Caswell, administrative assistant at the Jacobs School of Music. \nThe large graduation crowd causes a concern for sound quality, but microphones are in place to ensure the best sound projection, Pratt said.\n“You won’t have any trouble hearing the wonderful music in the very large Assembly Hall because individualized microphones are placed throughout the band,” Pratt said.\nThis year, the band will provide three musical selections: the processional, “The Star Spangled Banner” and “Hail to Old IU,” according to a press release. \nOf the approximately 50 band members, the majority are undergraduate students and will not be participating in the actual ceremony. But a few seniors will be participating in both the performance and commencement, Pratt said.\nEach member of the commencement band is a declared music major, Pratt said. In order to participate in the band, members must be enrolled in the Jacobs School of Music. \nSenior India Wilson said hearing the band will be an important part of her commencement.\n“When the band strikes up the music, that’s the signal that I have just completed four years at IU,” Wilson said.