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Top of the class

Music sets the mood

Band and chorus concerts at county schools give listeners and students a little lift.

By MATHEW WASSERMAN
Published December 15, 2005

	[Times photo: Edmund Fountain]
	Members of the West Hernando Middle School chorus follow along with instructor Debbie Edwards of Zephyrhills, left, as they rehearse for a holiday concert at Central High School recently. The concert, which was held in conjunction with the West Hernando Middle School chorus and band groups, was at Central High School auditorium on Dec. 8 is typical of the traditional yuletide entertainment offered in the region.

You know the holidays are near when you can hear music coming from schools at almost any time of the day. School bands and choruses are preparing for one of their busiest times of the year, when they put on shows to boost the holiday spirit.

"These shows get everybody in a good mood for Christmas," said Everett Johnson, Central High School's chorus director. "And they celebrate the end of the first semester."

All Hernando County schools put on some kind of show during the last couple of weeks before winter break. Most of the elementary schools feature a chorus concert, while the middle and high schools have band and chorus presentations.

West Hernando Middle School put on a combination of both on Dec. 8 for its holiday show.

"Our joint numbers are really the pinnacle of the entire show," said West Hernando Middle chorus teacher Debbie Edwards. "You get a very full sound with both groups performing. We do Hallelujah and then finish with We Wish You a Merry Christmas."

West Hernando Middle's chorus and band groups had been practicing for this show since October.

"It's a lot for the students and the teachers to learn," Edwards said. "They have to learn the music and timing, and I have to learn how to quickly get off and on the riser and make everything look nice."

Corey Rodriguez, an eighth-grader who plays clarinet, said the hardest thing is memorizing all the notes to the songs. But when he hears it all come together, it's worth the work.

"When everything is in place for the Christmas show it sounds great," he said. "It's a great beginning to the Christmas season and really brings out the holiday spirit in the students."

Corey has been playing in the band for three years. He said he can't wait to go next door to Central High and play in the holiday show there.

"I'm looking forward to the high school Christmas show because by then I'll be better and the music will be different and probably a little harder," he said.

At Central High, the chorus and the band don't perform together.

"Both groups sound pretty complete on their own," said sophomore Nick Clark, 15, who is in the varsity chorus. "Performing together would be good, but it's also good this way."

Johnson, Central High's chorus director, said the holiday show, which will be performed tonight, is the big chorus event for the fall, but there is also an end-of-the-year show and chorus assessments in the spring. He said this show is great for first-year members because it shows them what to expect for the upcoming months or years in the program.

"First off, they learn how to read and remember music - if they're not already familiar with it - by studying and practicing for this show," Johnson said. "It also helps them overcome their natural resistance toward singing in front of the public. We get them used to it by working in larger groups and then smaller groups."

Elementary schoolers might be the students who enjoy the holidays the most.

This year, Brooksville Elementary is putting on one of its biggest holiday shows yet, with both music and visuals.

"We're having the fourth- and fifth-grade chorus group sing," said Hazel Trueblood, the teacher's aide who is leading this year's holiday show. The show was first performed Wednesday. It runs again today and Friday.

"But we're also having a nativity scene, step dancing, artwork created by the art teacher, reindeer passing out candy during the performance and at the end we'll have seven students representing seven countries and they'll each say "Merry Christmas' in that country's language and then Santa comes out and says "Merry Christmas' also."

It's a pretty complicated show, especially since Trueblood is not the chorus teacher and the students have worked on it after school just two days a week since November.

"I have experience leading a chorus from directing the choir at my church," Trueblood said. "And the kids, the staff, the parents and everybody have been wonderfully supportive. The main thing I wanted to accomplish is to make the kids feel like they could be superstars. I wanted them to build confidence."

As the last week of school before the holidays wraps up, local students already have, or will be, serenading this year goodbye.

"It's a good way to bring in the new year," Corey said.

Mathew Wasserman can be reached at Mat65432@aol.com

[Last modified December 15, 2005, 00:33:15]