Decatur band, choir perform seasonal music during concert
DECATUR — Sweet sounds of beautiful Christmas music filled the air as teachers, family, friends and music lovers gathered in the cafeteria at Northside Elementary School in Decatur Dec. 13 for the 2017 Decatur Schools’ winter concert.
Four groups, including the high school choir, beginning, middle school and high school bands, took center stage for this year’s musical extravaganza. Leading the groups was Jesse Owens, director of the middle and high school music program.
Setting the mood for the evening was the seventeen member all-girls’ choir performing the popular modern Christmas song, “White Christmas,” by Irving Berlin. The first public performance of this song was on the National Broadcasting Company Christmas radio broadcast of “The Kraft Music Hour” in 1941. Bing Crosby would later popularize this song in the traditional Christmas movie by the same title.
The choir also performed another popular Christmas song, “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” by Hugh Martin. It closed its part of the night with “Here Comes Santa Claus” by Oakley Haldeman.
Up next were the new kids on the musical block, the beginning band. This unit is made up of sixth-graders from Decatur Middle School. Most members of the 21-piece band are new to playing an instrument and are receiving training in Northside Elementary School’s music program directed by Kristen Wages. This group performed simple versions of several popular Christmas songs, such as “Jingle Bells” and “Good King Wenceslas,” and children’s songs like “Merrily We Roll Along” and “Twinkling Stars.”
The 29-member Middle School band gave the audience a more overseas look at Christmas. Beginning the journey with a “Fanfare on Joy to the World” and continuing with a “Caribbean Christmas,” they ended with an “African Bell Carol.” The next generation high school performers gave the audience a taste of good things to come in the near future.
The High School band was the final slice of the musical pie for the evening. Band members, which included Kyrie Beck, Dora Hernandez, Victor Gonzalez, Lauro Molina, Kaitlyn Smith, Ithzel Martinez, Emmanuel Thao, Austin Hamilton, Demain Merworth, McKinzee Swaim, Samantha Skaggs, Carlos Perez, Isaiah McIver and Alexis Patterson, represented the finest musical talent Decatur High School has to offer. And it was reflected in three more advanced musical numbers, including “Jiggle Jazz” and “Blue Lake Reflections.”
For the third number and final piece, Patterson and Smith strapped on their marching drums to perform “Three More Christmas Parades,” which the band featured in this year’s Decatur Christmas Parade on Dec. 8.
For Owens, now in his third year, the sounds that flowed from the many instruments gave a hope for a more joyous Christmas. Each year the bands and choir get better as each student gains more confidence individually and when performing with fellow musicians.