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Practicing is key for the choir and the band. They have to work hard to make concerts and practices sound good. They are consistently reminded of the quote ‘What kind of band/choir would this be if everyone in it was just like me?’ said by Steve Hendricks.
Band teacher Timothy Kidder has made multiple tracks for each song for the band and choir. If you have headphones, one ear will tell you what your part sounds like and the other ear will tell you what it sounds like altogether.
“I put a lot of time into the tracks.” Kidder said. “For a choir piece with the piano usually takes me around an hour to an hour and a half. A band piece takes more about five hours.”
All this preparation leads to concerts for the entire school to here. This upcoming concert is the winter concert where the band, jazz band, and choir all play at the same concert.
The choir is singing “Here We Come A-Wassailing,” “The Chanukah Song”, “December In My Hometown”, “Mary Sat A’Rockin” and “Carol Of The Bells”.
“I had to choose “Carol Of The Bells” because it’s tradition,” Kidder said. “We have played “Carol Of The Bells” at the winter concert and this school for the past 40 years. Nothing like being bullied by dead people.”
The jazz band is playing “White Christmas,” “Haven’t Met You Yet”, and “Cool”. The percussion ensemble is playing “Deck Them Halls’. The band is playing “A Fresh Aire Christmas’’, “Fantasy On The Huron Carol’’, and “Greensleeves.” Greensleeves is also a tradition for 15 coming on 16 years.
“The students will be prepared to play at this concert,” Kidder said. “It’s a quick-turn- around. We usually have more time to prepare for a concert especially with Thanksgiving right in the middle of it. That’s what makes it hard, but if it were easy everybody would do it.”
Students have enjoyed play- ing or singing these songs. They practice every day and are always ready for a new day of learning with Kidder.
“I love the songs,” senior Maylee Yorgason said. “The songs are more difficult than the last concert. I practice every day for most of my day; I love it though.”
There are many challenging rhythms in the songs that are played at the winter concert.
“The songs are harder, but that should be expected because we’re more practiced now,” senior Sadie Hathaway said. “I practice less than I should, which might make it harder than it should be.”
The students rely on each other to help them through practices, class, and concerts and with the rhythms and the fast tempos. They are what makes choir and band fun and how concerts sound amazing.
“I think the best thing about this concert is how I look in a tux,” Kidder said. “It is ridiculous how good looking I am.”
