After putting in hours of hard work, Millikin’s Wind Ensemble put on their final concert of the season on Friday April 22. Freshman tuba player Griffin Etchison reflected on his time as a first year member of the ensemble, recalling memories from rehearsals that were held three times a week for an hour and a half each time. Because the concert was a success, it was clear that all of their hard work and effort paid off. Etchison, a Commercial Music major, is thankful for having an opportunity to participate in the wind ensemble.

“It has helped to make me a better musician, which certainly does not hurt,” Etchison said.

Not only does Etchison play the tuba, which he began playing about a year and a half ago, but he also plays bass, guitar, mandolin, and the trombone. He believes this makes him a more well-rounded musician which would ultimately help him achieve his goal of working full time at a recording studio upon graduating in 2019.

The success of the wind ensemble can be attributed to the work of their conductor, Professor Shaw. In a nutshell, he is able to make rehearsals fun so they don’t seem so long.

“We play a lot of cool music and Professor Shaw is a great instructor, I take trombone lessons with him,” Etchison said. “He has a great balance of silliness to productivity.”

For their final concert, the ensemble wowed the audience by playing Tempered Steel, Rhapsody for Euphonium and Concert Band, Cheetah, and Lincolnshire Posey. There was also a flute duet accompanied by a smaller ensemble.

Though Etchison claims they played some of the songs better in rehearsal than they did in the concert, it was a successful end to the season for the wind ensemble.

To round out the 2015-2016 school year, they will play at Millikin’s commencement ceremony.