The Weddington Winter Concert was an amazing experience and wonderful way to celebrate the winter season. Taking place on December 16th in the Weddington Highschool auditorium, tickets were FREE and the array of different groups and types of music lasted over 2 hours long. Here is a summary of it all.
The first group to come on actually came not from the high school but from the middle school. The Weddington Middle School 8th grade band is one of the best in the whole of North Carolina, having been invited to prestigious conferences related to their musical craft. They came out wearing all black with mainly red ties, and some in the group wore festive hats. They played 4 primarily Christmas related songs, such as Silent Night, using typical instruments and also unorthodox methods such as wooden paddles that made clapping noises. There is some real talent for Weddington High School next year!
The second group to come on was the WHS Jazz Band. The groups had significantly less members then its predecessor in performance, however the music was just as good. They wore primarily all black button downs and pants, however they also instead wore a more diversified array of Christmas colored bow ties. They played 3 songs total, with less of an emphasis on Christmas related songs but more of an emphasis on the jazz aspect which this group is clearly known for. Their music was something something that even myself, who is not a jazz fan whatsoever, really enjoyed.
The third group to come was the WHS Symphonic Band. This group had around the same amount of members as the starting group to come on, and was made up of primarily freshmen with some sophomores. Their outfit was pretty different from the previous two events to come on, with the symphonic band wearing mostly black blazers with a black ties and white button up underneath for the men, and the women wearing black dresses.They played a total of 3 longer songs that truly showed how the underclassmen at WHS can shine when given the opportunity.
The fourth group to come was the WHS Winds Ensemble. The group came out wearing black with festive colored bow ties, quite similar to the attire of the WHS Jazz Band. They played a total of 3 songs, and using woodwind, percussion, and brass instruments gave a classy performance that truly made me appreciate the unique instruments much more.
The fifth group to come on was again the WHS Symphonic Band, who came on for an encore. This time however, a random person from the crowd was picked from the raffle to decide who would be the conductor for the encore. The song was Sleigh Ride by the Ronettes and the random person from the audience did a fantastic job as the conductor. It was a wonderful way to end the winter concert with some festivity in the air, and the audience applauded the brilliant performance to end the night.
Mrs. Hill is the conductor for the jazz band, symphonic band, and wind ensemble. Her main jobs are to teach different techniques, correct notes and rhythms, while also making sure everyone has a unified understanding of how each piece should be performed. In relation to the preparation that went into the winter concert she states, “The preparation for the winter concert started after our fall concert in October. Each class period is a rehearsal, which is broken up into warmups and small chunks of time working on each piece to perfect it for the concert. This requires a lot of very small detail work, and making sure everyone understands everything 100% of the time.” Her brief interview helped show the dedication and effort necessary to make such a big project for Weddington Highschool come true, and the efforts certainly paid off.
