For the last gig of the school year the Laguna Blanca Stage Band performed at the SOhO Music Club and Restaurant on May 5. For Seniors Andrew McCaffery and Troy Ritter, this was the last gig of their Stage Band careers.
A crowd of about 50-60 students, teachers, family and friends came out to support the band.
“It was great to see the school band get out into the community and perform,” freshman Elia Doussineau said.
While for some members of the band it was their last gig, and for others, it was their first.
Specifically, Tenor Saxophonist Conrad Perry, Alto Saxophonist Ryan Green, and Band  Director Ms. Laura Geier all experienced their first SOhO gig with the Laguna Blanca Stage Band.
“It was really strange in the beginning because I didn’t really know what was going on, but, in the end, it was really fun and a great experience. SOhO was the best gig,” said Ryan Green about his first year with the band and the SOhO gig.
“The Stage Band and gig at SOhO were great experiences. I’m looking for to the next year’s,” said Conrad Perry.
On her first year with the band, Ms. Geier said, “Working with the Laguna Blanca Stage Band this year has been a great challenge. However, with every challenge comes great reward. Every gig we had was widely attended, and the audience welcomed [our] new [sound]. The Stage Band performed at multiple events including the Jogathon, Padaro Beach Grill, Crocodile Restaurant, and culminated with a performance at SOhO Jazz Club downtown on State Street. I can only say that the program will continue to grow, and I am looking forward to see the same enthusiasm at Laguna Blanca School and the larger community in the near future.”
The 2011-2012 year for the Stage Band has been a year full of change, but the success and excellence of the band has been maintained by the new band leader Ms. Laura Geier.
The group had 7 performances this year: the Jog-A-Thon, the Padaro Beach Grill, the Laguna Blanca Winter and Spring Revues, the Crocodile Restaurant and Bar, Once Upon a Mattress, and SOhO Music Club.
Ms. Geier has brought new genres from around the world to the band. She said, “World music is my passion. With each style I introduced, I explained the cultural context, rhythmic groove, style, form, and approach of the tune, giving the students a window into another culture, and a larger world view.”
Senior Andrew McCaffery, guitar and vocals, started playing guitar in the fifth grade, forming his first band, Just Blanck, with the guidance of Eli Buchanan, that same year. Andrew played in the seventh and eighth grade band during his middle school career and qualified for the Stage Band in the spring of his eighth grade year.
On his experience with the Stage Band, senior Andrew McCaffery said, “I liked being able to play in a professional setting all over southern California, and I learned a lot about working with a group of people for an extended period of time.”
Senior Troy Ritter, drums, began playing the drums at the age of 7. He traveled along the tracks of the Laguna Blanca music program playing in the fifth and sixth grade band, the  seventh and eighth grade bands, and qualified for the Stage Band in the spring of his eighth grade, as well.
“I’ve been in the Stage Band since my freshman year. Mr. Buchanan stressed the professionally of being in a band, and having the opportunity to not only play a wide spectrum of music, but also to be treated like a professional musician is something I’m going to have with me for the rest of my life as I continue on my music career,” Troy said.