As the semester winds down, the approaching finals season weighs heavily on the minds of many students. Think of it this way - at least you don’t have to stand up and perform your chem exam. Leave that to the members of the UI bands. Tonight, the University and Concert Bands will perform a joint end-of-semester concert showcasing their work over the past few months.

Each group will play six songs each, with Associate Director of Bands Kevin Kastens leading the Concert Band and UI graduate teaching assistant Trevor Loes directing the University Band. “Each year, the Concert Band has a different musical ‘personality’ and instrumentation,” Kastens said.

“The challenges are always different.” The Concert Band - which differs from University Band because it requires a qualifying audition - will perform works from a wide range of composers, including late UK composer Malcolm Arnold and Dick Schory, a native of Ames. The Schory piece, “Assault,” is one of two the Concert Band will play with guest soloist UI Professor Dan Moore. Kastens says he tries to schedule a faculty soloist once a year to play with the group.

“It’s a different experience for the band to accompany a soloist,” he said. “The entire band plays more of a supporting role.” “Assault” highlights the technique of rudimental snare drumming, in which a series of named patterns are used to construct rhythms. The piece’s name is fitting, given that rudimental drumming is most commonly used in military drum corps. Moore previously received a grant to produce an album of Schory’s music, released in 1999 and titled Percussion Pops 2000.