Band hosts annual Christmas concert as semester closes

The annual Christmas concert was held Sunday, December 12. Last year’s Christmas concert happened virtually due to COVID protocols. Saying that the band was excited to get redemption from last year is an understatement. The band’s director Hannah Drake feels the same way. 

“I’m excited to have a concert in person,” Drake said. “It’s nice to be doing normal things and have a pretty normal fall semester. We’re almost back to the way life was before the pandemic.”

Band members feel the Christmas concert is a big deal because of the effect it has on the audience. Everyone knows at least one Christmas song, and Drake always makes it a priority to pick a playlist that contains well-known classics.

“I think it’s nice to hear quality performances of classic carols. This year’s performance (had) a variety of classics with a fun, interesting twist,” Drake said. 

According to band members, the worst part of the process of getting something together is the rehearsals. The band takes place during the school day which means there is limited time to rehearse. 

“We started Christmas right after the variety show,” Drake said. “We’ve had 3-4 weeks to prepare music, starting with a harder piece, but I knew it would be most of the kid’s favorites. Then, as they got more comfortable, we moved on to other songs.” said Drake.

Jazz band is most definitely a fan favorite, but their rehearsal time is even more limited.

“The most challenging part was easily jazz band because it’s not built into our school schedule,” Drake said. “We’ve been meeting during advisory and we will be performing with a total of five practices under our belt for a total of 2-3 songs.”