WPGA Loon Lake Band and String Retreat 2026 

Over March 6-8, our concert band enjoyed our annual music retreat at Loon Lake, where we had the opportunity to work with Dr. Gerard Morris, a conductor and artistic director who helped work on our tone, balance, and refine our individual parts. Through his guidance, we learned new techniques for listening to one another and playing in balance with each other. We also had the chance to work with esteemed musicians during our sectionals, where they shared their wisdom, offered helpful feedback, and helped us understand our instruments. 

Throughout the weekend, we spent many hours rehearsing, taking pictures, and enjoying time together as a band community. We also brought back the tradition of the talent show, which gave us a fun opportunity to share our talents and add a lot of laughter and energy to the weekend. Overall, it was a memorable experience that helped us grow both as musicians and as a band.  

Over on the strings side, musicians worked hard to refine their technique, rehearsing from morning to night. In the morning, we split off into sectionals where we worked on the character of the piece and got specific feedback on our instruments. Principal players also had the opportunity to rehearse together where they focused on playing together and learned how to lead their sections. Lastly, we had the chance to work with Dr. Morris where he taught us the value of dynamics and phrasing in his engaging and informative style. 

The next morning, band and orchestra had a mini-concert where we shared what we had learned that weekend. It was eye-opening to hear each other play as we were mostly separated the entire weekend. One of our own students, Anthony von Mandl, even had the opportunity to conduct a piece! All in all, making music with friends on this trip was one of the highlights of my senior year.