It’s 10:45 am on the final day before winter break. Students file into the auditorium with their third period class, whispering to their friends and rushing to seats as the concert band performs “Fanfare Prelude on Westminster Carol” by James Curnow. However, this wasn’t the season’s first Winter Assembly performance, and it wouldn’t be their last. Students in orchestra, concert band, jazz band, guitar, Just For Show, City Lights, and concert choir performed holiday-themed songs for their peers at Midlothian High School, as well as students at JB Watkins Elementary School.
“We performed for elementary school students the day before the regular assemblies and before the concert. I enjoyed that performance because the kids sang along to the tunes they recognized and went crazy over the slapsticks during Sleigh Ride,” Losha Tucker (12) said. “That performance was important because it allowed us to introduce music to younger students, some of whom may have never experienced it before, and hopefully spark an interest that encourages them to give it a try.”
Tucker, a percussionist for the MHS music department, has been performing in the winter concert for all four years of high school. This year, Tucker performed a solo during his percussion ensemble piece. Between in-class and after-school rehearsals, it took nearly a month and a half to prepare for the assembly’s performance.
“The winter concert took about a month and a half to prepare through both classes and after-school rehearsals,” Tucker (12) said. “The most challenging part was fitting our individual parts together during rehearsals, especially since we hadn’t played with some people until we rehearsed as a full group.”
Choir classes, however, took a different approach to preparing for the winter concert. With three months left until the first Winter Assembly performance, students were already learning their first songs.
“The choir has been preparing for the winter concert since the second month of school. We learned three songs which we practiced every class. City Lights sang ‘Mary Did You Know?,’ ‘Stars on Snow,’ and ‘A Dream Within a Dream,’ Summer Brooks (9) said. “My favorite was ‘Mary Did You Know?’ When we would all sing it together, you couldn’t hear anyone but us. It was like the world wasn’t there and everything flowed perfectly.”
Each ensemble prepared their own pieces for the winter concert, with some students performing in multiple groups throughout the assembly.
“Orchestra prepared with in class rehearsals and after school rehearsals, usually on Wednesdays, leading up to the concert. Orchestra played ‘Inverno,’ ‘Christmas Time is Here’, ‘Sarajevo,’ ‘Sleigh Ride,’ and ‘Christmas Festival,’ [but] my favorite was ‘Inverno,’” Alexia Jade Santos (12) said. “I performed with City Lights, Just for Show, Concert Orchestra, and Chamber Orchestra.”
All together, the Winter Assembly isn’t only a festive performance for the school. For the department, the winter concert illustrates the progress made by music students throughout the school year.
“The school hosts the winter concert so the music classes can show off what they have learned this year,” Brooks said. “I think it’s important because it really gives the other students in the school a chance to see the hard work and dedication the music students put in.”
