Designed by Mr. Ames, this poster, along with numerous other things are being prepared for the Christmas Spectacular Show. Photo by: Tori Godwin
By Tori Godwin
The Christmas Spectacular Show is going to be a new experience for the audience. There will be decorations, presents, Santa Claus and so much more. The PHS bands and choirs are getting everything ready for this event.
The bright lights, the decorative ornaments and the Christmas spirit floating around the auditorium are a few of the numerous things that will be happening at the Christmas Spectacular Show. Besides the normal performance attire, both the bands and choirs will be adding a little dazzle to their look. All of the choirs will be wearing scarfs, hats, and gloves for their opener “Let It Snow!” and for other numbers. The Jazz Band is also adding some humorous creativity to the show by wearing elf costumes during the whole performance. “This is going to be hilarious,” said junior Eric Fogle when describing the show as a whole. Also, there are going to be many small skits during the show. This performance is definitely not going to be like any other.
This show is going to be full of Christmas festivities and songs meant to entertain the public. All of the choirs are performing “Let It Snow!” Counterpoint, the all girls choir, will be performing “Candy Cane Lane,” “Christmas Wish,” and “Twelve Days After Christmas.” Chorale, the mixed choir, will be performing “Christmas Tonight,” “Noel Madrigal,” and “Good People Now Rejoice.” Crimson Connection, the show choir, will be performing “Ding-a-Ding-a-Ding,” “Mary, Did You Know?” with a solo by junior Morgan O’Neal, and “Mister Santa/We Need A Little Christmas.” The Crimson Connection boys will be performing “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” with a solo by sophomore Joseph Brennan and a special surprise. Mr. Olson will be playing the part of the Grinch, along with some interesting dance moves. The Crimson Connection girls will be performing “All I Want For Christmas is You” with a solo by junior Jennifer Dudash.
Along with being dressed up like elves, the Jazz Band will be performing “Hark! The Herald Angels Rock” and “Rock the Halls.” Also, freshman Anthony Boener, juniors Eric Johnson and Jackson Garrison, and senior Michael Berger will be in a small trombone ensemble performing “O Come All Ye Faithful.” The Wind Ensemble will be performing “Christmas Declaration” and “And To All A Good Night.” The Concert Band will be performing “Christmas Fanfares” and “Angels We Have Heard On High.” Finally, all of the bands and choirs will be performing “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” together.
This show will be full of surprises and it is going to be staged differently. The show is going to be more like a production rather than just a concert. There are going to be small skits between each band and each choir performance. This way of running the show may be new to the Music Department students, but they are facing the obstacles, and to bring this performance to life along with the help of the stage crew. Senior Mike Berger, a member of Jazz Band and Wind Ensemble, said that this concert is different from the other because “It is more of a comedy show than it is serious. I really like the Christmas Spectacular. Especially this year because I will be dressed like an elf.” Junior Kaitlyn Lenne said, “Well, not only is it almost Christmas, but it also helps all of us get in the Christmas spirit! This concert is also all of the band and choir students. So, now you get to see all the talents that the Music Department has!” Freshman Libby Read said, “This year we have lots of different skits in between performances. The Jazz Band will dressed like elves and will have skits and small ensembles.” Junior April Hampton said, “This concert is different from the others because it might be my last one. I also love all the pieces the bands and the choirs play. I especially love the Jazz Band. I like how they interact with the audience and role play. They look like they are having a blast.”
Getting ready for fun and adventure, juniors Jack Garrison and Eric Johnson are letting their elf out during the rehearsal for The Christmas Spectacular Show. Photo by: Tori Godwin
When a concert or a performance comes around, there is bound to be a favorite part of the concert or a favorite song that an individual performs. It can be a somewhat easy piece or song, but it could also be a difficult piece. Junior Jake Harley is not sure what his favorite part of the performance is, but his favorite song to perform is “‘Christmas Fanfares’ because the timpani part is fun.” Freshman Nathan Williams said, “Getting to be on stage because ever since I was a little kid, I have always wanted to be a famous singer and when I’m on stage, I kind of get to be just that. It is not quite like being a famous singer, but for me, it is close enough.” Fogle said, “‘Hark! The Herald Angels Rock’ because it is the one I play the best.” Hampton said, “I enjoy ‘And To All A Good Night’ the most because it is so much fun to play. Members of the band have the chance to stand up, dance, and be frivolous. I love dancing, and enjoy being able to have fun and not be serious while playing my instrument.”
Along with a favorite song, there is also a song that happens to be more difficult than the others. Brennan thinks that his toughest song for Crimson Connection is “Mary, Did You Know?” because “It is a song that you cannot over-power anybody and I have a loud voice. Also the tenor part is the same as the alto in a few sections, so we have to sing it quite high.” Hampton said, “‘And To All A Good Night.’ At one point of the piece, the saxophones and the clarinets have a feature together. The difficult part is jumping from one note to another note over the break. Other than that, it is manageable.” Fogle said that the most difficult piece of music for him to play is “‘Hark! The Herald Angels Rock’ because there are a lot of chords.” Senior Amanda McPherron said, “‘Christmas Wish’ because our parts are hard to hear.” Berger said, “I would say that ‘Christmas Declaration’ is our hardest piece. It is really hard for me to play in a march style.” Freshman Brantlee Joseph thinks that Ding-a-Ding-a-Ding is the most difficult song.
There is a massive amount of preparation for a performance. The decorations for the stage have to be done, both the bands and choirs have to know their music, the sound and lighting need to be right, and many more things. Along with practicing at school, extra practice time is usually necessary. Hampton said, “I practice the areas that I need to work on the most. To get better, one needs to practice.” Read agrees with Hampton and said that she practices a lot as well. Lenne said, “Personally I go home and sing through the songs and dance them in my room. So whenever we have practice time, I don’t look like a goober and not know what I am doing.” Harley said, “I make sure I do well in class and just stay on my toes and do not get too stressed.”
Both the bands, the choirs, and the stage crew have put it countless hours to make this production run smoothly. The Christmas Spectacular Show will be on Sunday, December 12, 2011, at 3:00 p.m. in the auditorium. Admission is five dollars.