Sounds of the Season
A look into the fine arts programs during the holidays.
Junior William Laycock and senior Jack Fulkerson play their cellos during a symphonic orchestra rehearsal. Photo by Chrystian Noble
Clear the stage for the musicians of LHS. December is the season for orchestra, band and choir. To perform some of its most celebratory music
Orchestra
Orchestra has been preparing for the many events that they hold during the most wonderful time of the year. On December 5 the orchestra performed in at the Liberty Performing Arts Theatre for some holiday fun.
“All the orchestras played. That includes the 8th graders, Freshman, Concert, Symphonic and Chamber orchestra,” senior cellist Ian Watson said. “Everyone played their own little piece then we all came together to play one.”
First the eighth graders, Freshman and Chamber performed followed by Symphonic and Concert orchestra. A hat was passed around during the concert for fundraising.
“We collected money from audience members and for every dollar we got we played one measure of Christmas Sarajevo for them. The money went towards our boosters, which are used for scholarships, travel, instrumental rental, field trips, senior gifts and much more.” orchestra teacher Michelle Davis said.
Another event orchestra got to be apart of this year was Sounds of the Holiday for KSHB-TV news station.
“The Symphonic orchestra went to Johnson County Community college to play holiday music and get recorded for KSHB Sounds of the Season. They live broadcast it on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day,” junior violinist Amanda Floray said.
Students from Symphonic orchestra played holiday tunes, including Lullaby Christmas and movements from the Nutcracker.
Band
Ya like Jazz? And LHS Band? This December, band set to play for several winter events. This month, the jazz band performed during lunch for students and teachers. They performed “Groove Merchant,” “A Nasty Bit of Blues,” “Baby it’s Cold Outside” and more holiday themed classics to get everyone in the holiday spirit.
Also, the Concert and Symphonic groups performed at the Liberty Performing Arts Theatre at 7 P.M. on December 12 for an event open to the community.
“The concert highlighted pieces the band has been working on for the past month or so,” sophomore clarinet player Evan Moody said. “Each band had about four to five pieces that they had been working on and showcased. This definitely gave players an opportunity to perform to the community and our school.” sophomore clarinet player Evan Moody said.
Like any other performance, a lot of work was required for the concert.
“There’s been a lot of practice that’s gone into it, just making sure that all the music is as good as it can be. A lot of repetition on the pieces is the main thing we do,” freshman percussionist Grant Owen said.
A unique event for some band students was Tuba Christmas. Tuba and euphonium players performed holiday tunes at the Kauffman Center in downtown Kansas City. It was open to the community and was held on December 4.
Band teacher Eddie Owen believes music holds significant life lessons for students.
“One of my favorite sayings that I heard and still apply today is that we don’t use students to make great music, we use music to make great students,” he said. “We want students in our program to be better human beings. We carry this though marching band and concert season.”
Choir
The end of the year is a showcase for the hard work and dedication of the choirs. Choir teacher Rika Heruth described some of the special events that happened for LHS singers.
“Our Chamber Choir is working with a Grammy Award Winning professional choir on December 4,” Heruth said. “They are getting ready to perform for the Missouri Music Educators Association convention in January. The singers from VOCES 8 coached us in a workshop on a piece we will be singing at this convention.”
On December 11, Women’s and Men’s Chorale, alongside Blue Jay Chamber and Concert Choir performed at William Jewell. Since this is one of their bigger holiday concerts, the pieces selected were more challenging and spotlighted the talent.
Junior Katherine Vlamis worked to memorize the songs before the concerts.
“I decided to participate in choir because it’s something that I want to do in the future as well and I think that there’s a lot to learn from music,” Vlamis said. “You basically just need to have a passion for learning music. I’ve mostly just practiced outside of school and obviously try work in class as well.”
Junior Jake Kane participated in the previous choir concerts. Some pieces were based off of religious matters, others were for seasonal enjoyment and the act of spreading holiday joy throughout the community.
“Music is just something that shapes the world around us, so any opportunity for people to go see some sort of music whether it be choir, orchestra or band is something that makes the world happier,” said Kane.
