Symphonic and Concert Bands will be having their annual winter concert Dec. 6 in the auditorium. This will be their first public performance of the year. The concert is anticipated to be a success with this year’s exciting lineup, despite their limited preparation time.

“I really like our piece this year called Spirals of Light,” Symphonic Band flute Courtney Helmick said. “I’m pretty excited because the music’s fun. We have two very different pieces this year. They’re both very challenging, and having put them together in three weeks I think we did pretty well and we had to prepare with a lot of urgency. I think they’re good pieces to show our strength as a band.”

Both ensembles have been hard at work in preparation, condensing progress into the weeks after the Veterans Assembly. Their determination is accredited to the experience and individual drive among all members.

“The work ethic really has to be up there to be in this ensemble,” Helmick said. “It’s the top ensemble that our school has, and we do play difficult music. You really have to be focused and attentive in class to be at the standard that this band requires us to be at. You have to work hard to succeed in this ensemble.”

With the level of skill and ability the groups have worked to maintain, they also value being able to convey emotion in their music.

“When you’re experiencing music is more of a felt experience than just a heard experience,” percussionist Andrew Reese said. “It can relate back to points in your life. You can get emotionally attached to music, and when you’re seeing it live you can feel it a whole lot more, because it’s not just going into your ears it’s being shot at you by a cannon, and you can just feel it all over.”

The program is not only an opportunity to evaluate the development of the groups, it’s an occasion for band members to showcase their talent.

“It’s not only a fun time to listen to some good music, but it shows how important music education is,” said Arianna Chaves, Symphonic Band First Chair Clarinet. “It brings together this group of people and we can make something really special together. That is something that needs to promoted and we need to show people this is really important.”