Current Events at PHS

The lights dim in the auditorium, and the crowd's chatter fades as everyone's eyes center on the stage, where the High School Honor Band is setting up. An oboe plays an “A” pitch and the band tunes. a speech was given, on how music can build community, and how the concert was a celebration of music. I thought this is something to think about more when talking about music. The speech made me very excited about the performances to come.

The first ensemble that played was the High School Honor Band. They played 3 pieces and had 61 members performing. The pieces played were Incandescence, Amen!, and American Riversongs. All were played beautifully, and I especially enjoyed American Riversongs. American Riversongs is based on some of the traditionally composed music when rivers/waterways were lifelines of growing nations..

Following the band was the High School Honor Orchestra, who played 3 pieces and had 48 members performing. The pieces played were Holst’s St. Paul’s Suite, I. Jig, Florence Price’s String Quartet, II. Andante Moderato, and Newbold’s Lion City. I enjoyed all 3, but Lion City was the most delightful to listen to. The frequent tempo changes and organic flow of the music was very enjoyable. chairs fading out for a time and then joining back on the queue.

The High School Honor Choir sang 4 songs and had 57 members performing. The songs sang were The Dream Keeper, The Power of Dreams, Peace Will Come, and Our Time.The songs wove together to tell a beautiful story. The story starts with the song The Dream Keeper, which is about a character whose role in life is to protect the dreams of those who are willing to hand over their deepest passions and desires in life. The story moves on to the second song, The Power of Dreams, which is about how your circumstances do not determine how happy you are. The story starts coming to an end with the song Peace Will Come. Like the title states, this song is about dreaming of peace. . The story ends with the song Our Time, which is about students that are graduating and going into the world to change it, ending the choir's performance on a high note. I thought the Honor Choir’s performance told a beautiful story and sang really gracefully.

The Middle School Honor Band played 3 pieces and had 81 members performing. The point of their playing was to show the talent that would be joining High School soon. The pieces played were all very fun to listen to and I especially enjoyed The Incredibles. My final thoughts are that I am very excited to see them play in the High School Bands and I thought they did a great job.

After the concert finished the crowd started walking towards the front entrance, their laughter and cheers followed them. The concert was very enjoyable and my overall experience of the concert is a deserved 10/10.