W.G. Murdoch School's many band students are eagerly rehearsing for the Crossfield school's upcoming Christmas concert, set for Dec. 14 at 6:30 p.m.
The Grade 6 to 12 school's music teacher, Shannon Bauer, said the upcoming concert will see a return to normalcy after the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions earlier this year. Last year's December concert at Murdoch was capped at one-third audience capacity, and the performance was limited to just 30 minutes.
“[It’s] a concert that a lot of people enjoy because it’s around the holidays and a great way for people to spend some time with their families and lean into some traditions,” she said. “It’s nice to be able to have more of the community participate once again.”
This will mark the W.G. Murdoch band program's second concert of the school year, after the students put on a fall concert in late October. Following their December show, their last performance of the school year will be at the end of May 2023.
As should be expected given the concert's timing, Bauer said the Dec. 14 performance's programme will feature plenty of festive and holiday-themed music, albeit with a bit of a twist.
“We’ve got some Christmas-themed ones and a couple of mash-ups,” she said. “One of our pieces with the junior band is a mash-up of A Christmas Carol and Eric Burden and the Animals. It’s called House of the Rising Bells. Our senior band has a couple winter-themed pieces and then they’re also playing selections from Home Alone.”
With nearly 100 students enrolled, W.G. Murdoch School's band program is one of the school's most popular classes. Bauer said all band students participate in the concerts, which not only provide the students a platform to demonstrate to their parents what they've been learning in music class, but also give them experience in a live performance setting.
“All our ensembles will be playing, so our groups in Grade 7, our junior band, our senior band, and our jazz band are all performing,” she said.
Apart from the three yearly concerts, W.G. Murdoch's band students also have the opportunity to do some music-related field trips. Bauer said every spring, the school's junior-high-aged music students attend a band retreat in Banff.
For the older students, once every three years, Murdoch's band program goes on a bigger field trip. Bauer said this year coincides with that opportunity, and that Murdoch's high-school-aged music students will tour Victoria and Vancouver, B.C. next term.
“We’ll be playing at the parliament building in Victoria and also doing some touristy things,” the music teacher said. “We’re participating in a workshop with the UBC – it’s just nice to take in some of the sights, being that we’re landlocked here. Being on the coast and experiencing a different environment and way of life.”
The school's last big music trip came in early 2020, just before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when students took part in a trip to New York City.
“Typically, we’ll play for elementary and middle-school students and it’s just nice to see the energy that can be brought to a school from music.
“I think they’re looking forward to doing that again because we haven’t done that since New York City in 2020. “We were there until Feb. 17 or 18, so right when [COVID-related restrictions] were heating up. Little did we know.”
According to Bauer, the Dec. 14 concert is free and the public is welcome to attend. However, she noted there is a 50-50 raffle taking place virtually in conjunction with the concert, with proceeds going to support the band students' upcoming trip to the west coast. She said the school is able to inform any interested participants on how to take part in the raffle.
