Members of Newton High School’s band — The Newton Sound Factory — showcased their talents on an international stage on Monday, Dec. 11.
At the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, Newton High performed for the first United Nations conference held in the United States outside of New York.
Over 190 nations were represented at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.
It was such a special occasion for Jimicah Roseberry that it did not hit the senior drum major until the band entered the room.
“It felt surreal,” Roseberry said, “and for quite some time before, my peers and I questioned whether the event was maybe a prank or something planned by Mr. [Jason] Smith.”
The same can be said for fellow senior drum major Tajé George who said it took a specific sign for them to realize what was ahead.
“The opportunity to play on such a stage became real when I stepped into the conference room and saw 100-plus representatives from all over the world,” George said. “It clicked that this was one of the most significant performances of my life when I saw the sign ‘Pacific Islands’ sitting on the long table right in front of me.”
Hulet Neely, a junior who plays baritone/euphonium, said the reality of the performance became clear after the security check.
However, there was a moment Neely recalled that will not be soon forgotten.
“When we first were about to begin performing, we heard the politicians and diplomats talk amongst themselves like we were famous and we were the world leaders,” Neely said. “It really made me realize how special the performance truly was.”
Director of bands Jason Smith was notified of the opportunity on Sept. 11, but waited until mid-October to inform his students. Even then, Smith did not share the full details.
In the weeks leading up to last week’s performance, the band proceeded to practice for the chance.
Not only did the band prepare for this particular opportunity, but they also put together the band’s longest medley ever.
Songs like “Get Ready” by The Temptations, “Hey Jude” by The Beatles and “Moves like Jagger” by Maroon 5 were featured in the medley.
Also featured was “Rock With You” by Michael Jackson, something that George has long been waiting to play.
“My favorite part about performing at the UN conference was performing Rock With You by Michael Jackson,” George said. “For the entire school year, I have been waiting for the band to perform a Michael Jackson song, and having the opportunity to fulfill that moment in front of 190+ countries was phenomenal.”
Neely noticed one thing while performing each number.
“[My favorite part was] seeing all the world leaders and politicians pull out their phones and cameras and start recording in awe of our marching band,” Neely said.
Despite knowing about the opportunity for several weeks, Smith kept practice as normal as possible. Nothing special was done in the sessions getting ready for such a monumental performance.
But as the band members initially began to embark on the 80-mile round trip, nervousness set in with many of the members. Those nerves, however, began to go away once the performance started, according to George.
“There were slight nerves when I was waiting for the performance to begin, but thankfully, they all washed away when the performance started,” George said “I thought about putting my all into the performance because I wanted to impress every representative in the room and make the most of the experience.”
Roseberry stressed that having a normal approach helped cut down on the nerves and anxiousness leading up to the near 80-mile round trip.
“The band staff readied us just as they do for every other occasion,” Roseberry said. “Mr. Smith consistently emphasizes, ‘Your last performance was your best performance’ and that, ‘Success does not happen by accident’ — motivating our band to approach each event with equal importance.
“We purposefully prepare for excellence.”
News editor Evan Newton contributed to this report.
