Nome-Beltz Middle/High School Music Program performs Christmas concert against odds.
Nome-Beltz Middle/High School held their Christmas Concert and Dessert Fundraiser on December 13 at the Nome Elementary School Commons.The town turned out to cheer on the musicians, to bid on desserts and to enjoy the Nome tradition, but, according to interim music director, Angela Hansen, the concert nearly didn’t happen this year. In fact, towards the end of 2022, there almost wasn’t a NomeBeltz Music program at all.
At the start of the 2022-23 school year, Nome-Beltz Middle/High School had a full-time music teacher. Brandon Smith had been leading the Nome-Beltz music program since the fall of 2021. But, by mid-October of this year, Mr. Smith resigned, due to illness, and had to leave Nome.
That’s when Hansen, local artist and substitute teacher at NomeBeltz, stepped up. As someone who had already worked with several of the music students through substitute teaching, Hansen took over Smith’s class as a long-term sub. She described the transition as a bit difficult for the music students, given how unexpected the nature of Smith’s resignation was for them. However, Hanson said, the fact that she knew several of the students from subbing, helped the adjustment process.
At this point, the fate of the concert was still up in the air. After Smith’s departure, Hansen said the school considered cancelling it. A phone call from Hansen’s father, however, helped the show to go on. “I was talking on the phone to my father, Paul Orman, who lives in Nebraska about the situation,” Hanson said, “and he encouraged me to go ahead and have the concert and in his words, “Make it the best one ever, yet!” Hansen said by the next day she had her mind made up. She suggested to Nome-Beltz Principal Teriscovkya Smith that they combine the annual concert and dessert auction into one event. “The community needed some Christmas cheer and parents, family and friends want to see their children sing and play their instruments,” Hansen said.
Then came the work of pulling the concert off. Details like moving the equipment from the Middle/High School to the Elementary School, typing up the program, advertising, ordering supplies, and communicating with parents who wanted to help all had to be taken into consideration. The students had already started learning their Christmas music with
Mr. Smith. Hansen made some additions to the program, including featuring high school musicians, like Brenna Scholten and her bass clarinet solo, pianist Luke Hansen and vocalists Shaina and Kate Hobbs, who performed “special music” between the bigger acts. Hansen also said she took the time to put some thought into the order of the program “to achieve good variety and flow for the performance”.
Hanson expressed gratitude to a network of individuals who donated their time to help with various elements of staging the show, including the accompanist Carlee Hobbs, Marguerite LaRiviere who managed the dessert auction, Nick Settle, the MC and sound equipment handler, and Jessica Smyke who headed up serving the desserts.
Hansen said her students rose to the challenge. “Deciding to have the concert was the best decision because it gave us a common goal to work toward. Before that, we were unmotivated and floundering musically. The high school students were disappointed to not have any events to look forward to.” Hansen described her high school students as especially committed. Several students took their instruments home to practice for their concert in their own time. To help her students prepare to play in front of a larger audience, Hansen had the middle schoolers perform a mini concert in front of their peers at a school assembly, and then again, along with the high school musicians, for the elementary school students at their lunch hour.
Hansen was delighted at how the well concert went off. “Response from families and community was overwhelmingly positive and supportive and I’m so glad they were pleased with the evening and their children’s performance,” she said. “The students did an excellent job and I am so proud of them. For many, this was their first official concert and a monumental learning experience. The day of the performance, one seventh grader told me he was both terrified and excited to perform. I told him I felt the same way but that it was going to be fun!”
The concurrent dessert auction was also a success. Parents of the musicians each brought one dessert to share with concert goers, and one to auction off. The money raised goes to travel fees for Music Regions and the State Contest. The money also goes towards instrument repair,
and the purchase of equipment such as guitar strings, reeds, music and uniforms. According to Hansen, the auction brought nearly $2,000.
As for the future of the NomeBeltz music program? The school still has yet to secure another fulltime teacher to finish the year out. Hansen is hopeful that they will find someone who wants to continue the music program’s “rich legacy” long term. “Until then,” she said, “I’ll try to be available to help as needed to support the music students and whoever fills the teaching position.”
According to Hansen, there certainly is a lot at stake. “Music is important because it lifts up, gives joy and edifies the soul.” she said. “Through music, students learn a lifelong skill that can serve them throughout their lives and it is a gift they can appreciate and enjoy with others. It requires a team effort with many moving parts, working together to make beautiful melodies and harmonies. It also, serves as a catalyst to bring the community together in a positive way that blesses and encourages those who attend.”