On Nov. 19-20, Kaneland High School hosted its annual holiday concert performed by the student choir and band from 7:00-9:00 p.m.
The holiday concert, a long-standing tradition of more than 15 years, is the one time each year that the band and choir perform together. These students spent months preparing for the concert in order to assure their performance would be up to their expectations and meet their aim of raising holiday spirit within the community.
“It puts everybody in the spirit regardless of what holiday you observe this time of year,” band director Kyle Baltzer said. “I think it is a great introduction leading into Thanksgiving and then leading into holidays after. Music has this very unique ability of putting people into a unified mindset.”
The auditorium was filled with parents, friends, graduates and community members, leaving almost no seat empty. Some musicians wore Santa hats, and a few even decorated their instruments with miniature ones.
To create more cheer, snowflakes and decorations were projected onto the auditorium walls, illuminating the audience.
To an audience, most people only hear familiar favorites like the famous soundtrack of The Polar Express. But to the director and the students playing any piece, they hear the tiny errors, harmonies and precise details within the music.
“We do hours of long work to prepare for our concert,” sophomore alto Ashlee Davenport said. “We review music and notes. As the concert gets closer, we start to be more picky with our sound because we want to be the best that we can be for everybody.”
In order for the musical ensembles to achieve that goal, they practice to the best of their abilities during school to ensure their performance is polished and ready for the concert.
Behind the scenes, lots of work goes into preparing for the concert.
The music students practiced during their classes for the past couple of months and hosted one after-school practice where they worked as a whole group for the first time before the concert.
The most challenging part of being a musician differs for each student.
“The mindset in general is probably the hardest part because it is a lot of mentally preparing yourself more than just physically being ready,” saxophonist Izy Wroblewski said. “It is kind of a mix of both, but I think it is more mentally challenging rather than physically.”
Some students struggle with nerves before concerts, while some struggle with physical anxiety on stage. Still, most were happy with the outcome of the performance.
The majority of the audience crowded in the halls after the concert to take pictures with their loved ones, congratulate students on their performances and enjoy the night in general.
