Kurashiki Suisho High School Wind Ensemble was founded in 1977.
The band is active in competitions and performs at local schools by request.
I was in my middle school’s wind ensemble, and every year I watched the marching performance by the Kurashiki Suisho High School Wind Ensemble at the Kurashiki City School Music Festival.
I still remember being both inspired and moved by their perfectly synchronized playing and powerful movements.
I spoke with Tsunekuni Shingo, a teacher at Kurashiki Suisho High School and advisor to the Wind Ensemble, about the band’s activities and his thoughts on them.
The information presented was current when this article was published in March 2024. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About the Kurashiki Suisho High School Wind Ensemble
In the 2023 school year, the Kurashiki Suisho High School Wind Ensemble had about 30 members, some of whom had started playing in a wind ensemble only after entering high school.
It is a small wind ensemble, but it makes the most of its small size, giving every member a chance to stand out.
The band performs seated concerts as well as marching performances.
It began marching activities in April 2010, and the 2023 school year marked its 14th year.
Marching is a style of performance that combines playing in a wind band of woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments with visual expression.
The band’s nickname for marching activities is Crystal Sounds. The name was reportedly given to them by Oshiro Masanobu and Steve Yurisney, who coach a leading marching band school in Okinawa Prefecture.
The name combines the school’s name, Suisho, with crystal, and expresses the wish to cherish their sound and deliver music polished to shine like crystal.
In 2015, it became the first high school marching band from Okayama Prefecture to compete in the National Marching Band Championships, held at Saitama Super Arena.
In addition to competing in marching contests, the band performs at community events and schools by request. It reportedly gave more than 30 stage performances in the 2024 school year.
The Kurashiki Suisho High School Wind Ensemble’s motto is “Our goal is to win the Grand Prix of the heart.”
Of course, achieving good results in competitions is important, but they believe it is even more important that members grow and enrich their hearts through their activities.
Wind Ensemble activities and reflections
The Kurashiki Suisho High School Wind Ensemble’s main activities are competing in marching contests and performing at community events and schools by request.
The band has competed and performed at events including the National Marching and Baton Stage Competition, Okinawa Super Marching, and the National High School Cultural Festival.
In February 2024, it competed in the 22nd National Marching Stage Competition and won a gold award.
The Wind Ensemble’s annual schedule is decided through meetings, where the advisor and members discuss and share what activities they will do and why.
Plans to compete are decided around April, while performances by request are arranged as requests come in.
Performances by request in the community
The Kurashiki Suisho High School Wind Ensemble also performs at community events and for elementary and middle schools by request.
Unlike hearing judges’ comments at a contest, performing at community events and schools lets the band experience the audience’s reactions up close, which is one of the highlights.
When they perform at kindergartens, nursery schools, and elementary schools, they later receive messages about the performance in group cards or booklets of letters. The contents warm their hearts and become “nourishment for the soul.”
Sometimes they perform at the nursery schools their members attended or at the elementary schools that members once went to.
On those occasions, they can show the teachers who cared for them when they were little how much they have grown.
By performing in the community, they can share their music with more people and bring them joy.
“We plan our activities while thinking about how members themselves can grow and have a variety of experiences,” says Tsunekuni.
After the COVID-19 pandemic
Schools were sometimes closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and uncertainty continued over when club activities might have to stop.
Rather than focusing on wind ensemble competitions and marching contests throughout the year, the Kurashiki Suisho High School Wind Ensemble began its current style of activities because it wanted to offer students more fulfilling experiences.
One change to its activities during the pandemic was making use of remote technology.
Even during the pandemic, the band received remote instruction from a coach living outside Okayama Prefecture. This reportedly allowed them to have lessons more often than when the coach came to the school in person.
They also had opportunities to connect remotely with teams in distant areas.
“I thought there was no need to force ourselves to go back to how things were, when we had worked hard during the pandemic. We could keep using what we had gained,” says Tsunekuni.
What makes the Kurashiki Suisho High School Wind Ensemble special
One of the Kurashiki Suisho High School Wind Ensemble’s strengths is that its members take the initiative in creating each performance.
Some teams do not involve their members in choosing the pieces for competitions.
However, the Kurashiki Suisho High School Wind Ensemble asks members to suggest pieces for competitions and titles for original compositions, and even has members come up with choreography for solo performances. Students take a creative role in the band’s activities.
Members also help decide the theme and staging for the annual concert, and reportedly design its flyers as well.
It is not easy, but the entire Wind Ensemble works together to create performances they can proudly call “our own creation.”
Rather than telling students, “Do this,” advisor Tsunekuni supports them by making suggestions such as, “Why don’t you try something like this?” so they can take the initiative in their activities.
The two viral stars, “Sun-kun” and “Min-chan”
In February 2023, two students, “Sun-kun” and “Min-chan,” went viral after appearing in a video introducing the new uniforms on the official Kurashiki Suisho High School TikTok account.
The two are members of the Wind Ensemble.
After the video introducing the high school’s new uniforms went viral, videos introducing the gym uniforms and Wind Ensemble uniforms were also posted.
Although it is the school’s official TikTok account, Sun-kun and Min-chan are so popular that they have their own fans.
Many comments on videos featuring the two express sadness that they are graduating.
The two became popular on social media, but reportedly filmed videos in between Wind Ensemble activities, so their social media work did not affect the band’s activities.
“They enjoyed both their club activities and filming TikTok videos,” Tsunekuni told us.
The future of the Wind Ensemble and extracurricular activities
Tsunekuni says, “As the Kurashiki Suisho High School Wind Ensemble moves forward, I want to continue prioritizing activities that students find appealing.”
He says that from within the school, it seems that students are increasingly turning away from club activities in the wake of the pandemic.
In the past, devoting oneself to club activities was one of the joys of student life, but today there are many other enjoyable and rewarding things to do.
Even so, there are things that can be done through club activities, and things that can only be done through club activities.
Working together as a group to create something and striving toward the same goal are things one cannot do alone.
The Kurashiki Suisho High School Wind Ensemble will continue to have its members take the initiative and enrich themselves, pursuing activities they can look back on proudly as “a good experience.”
From the Writer
Every Wind Ensemble member I saw looked full of life, and I felt they truly enjoyed their club activities.
You can see the stage they create at their annual concert.
The Kurashiki Suisho High School Wind Ensemble’s annual concert will be held at Kurashiki Civic Hall on Thursday, March 14, 2024.
Go see their music polished to shine like crystal and their performance brimming with energy.
Kurashiki Suisho High School Wind Ensemble Information
| Name | Kurashiki Suisho High School Wind Ensemble |
|---|---|
| Address | 155 Hirata, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-422-3565 |
| Website | Kurashiki Suisho High School |
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