Winter Concert

On December 4th, The Music Wing held their first Winter Concert, with the next one scheduled for March. After the concert, I asked the band and orchestra students how they felt they played and what their favorite song of the night was. Each group performed three pieces.

I first spoke with two sophomores, Zoe Yeboah and Brandon Rogers. Zoe and Brandon participated in the orchestra portion of the concert, playing the violins. Brandon said, “It was way better than rehearsal yesterday because we were struggling yesterday.” Zoe added, “I think the concert was actually better than… better than I expected.” Both responses showed how the orchestra really came together at the end and put on a strong performance.

Next, I talked with band members Machaeyla Reaser and Mehki Mitchell. Machaeyla plays the flute, while Mehki plays the trumpet. Mehki told me his favorite song of the night was Mount Everest, a very powerful piece. When I asked Machaeyla what she thought the orchestra did well, she said, “I think the orchestra did exceptionally well, especially during Sleigh Ride, because Sleigh Ride is in cut time, which basically means really fast-paced beats.” Her favorite song of the night was Solisan because “it’s nice and pretty and gets exciting and dramatic toward the end.”

To end the night, I asked the band director, “Z,” what she thought of the concert as a whole. She told me, “I think the biggest thing is, you want to challenge everybody enough to be able to work on something for four or five months, but you don’t want it to be so challenging that it’s not fun to play.” Her response highlights the thoughtfulness put into planning this concert. And after talking with other students, it seems like the crowd favorites of the night were definitely Sleigh Ride and Solisan.