GHS Pops Concert Was a Hit

Many students showcased their musical talents in the Pops Concert last weekend. The show consisted of the GHS Choirs, Jazz Band, and 7th hour Orchestra, all of who practiced weeks in preparation for the show. Students enjoyed performing.

“I was in the choir. I believe the concert went great. All of us came back to the room before G-Harmony and Chorale performed and the air of the choir room was electric,” junior Michaela Sarenac said. “Everyone danced and sung their hearts out, and I’m really happy for each group!” she said.

Freshman Mallory Potters performed for the Jazz Band and felt their performance went well, and enjoyed listening to the other music.

“I felt the concert went really good! Every group that performed did a phenomenal job! Because we performed first, I got to listen to most of the groups perform,” she said. “I really enjoyed listening to the wide variety of music each group performed. I was pretty nervous, but I got over it and tried to play my best.”

Freshman Isabella Doss had fun during and after her performance with the Jazz Band.

“The concert, in my opinion, went really well. Every group sounded really good at both concerts and everyone was really well prepared. I had a lot of fun watching the other groups and meeting up with my friends in between the concerts too,” she said.

Junior Anya Nakonechna loves being a part of the Concert Chorale.

“I love Concert Chorale so much because it’s a female dominate choir. All of us have previously been involved in the musical world to some extent and it makes it easier to move along the pieces that Mr. Jones gives us,” she said. “All of us are determined and focused which made the performance ‘click’ and stable.”

Michael Jones, the chorus teacher, describes how he thinks the choir performances went.

“The concert went incredibly well!  I think any performer would love another chance to share the work they’ve done while also getting another shot at perfecting their performance,” he said.

Students explain how this show was different from previous ones.

“The Pops Concert was different than other concerts I have previously been in, because for students it was a lot less structured. We had the freedom to watch other groups or go somewhere else when we weren’t performing,” Doss said.

Sophomore Hailey DeLong explains the difference in song selection and wardrobe choices.

“In the other concerts, we would have to wear robes and we’d sing older songs. In the Pops Concert, we got to sing fun, upbeat songs and we got to dance. It was so much fun!” she said.

Jones describes the songs performed by each choir.

“The concert features mostly music from today, musicals, movies and jazz,” he said.

The choirs performed songs such as: ‘Please Don’t Stop the Music’ from Pitch Perfect, ‘Mercy’ (Shawn Mendes), ‘Proud Mary’, ‘When She Loved Me’ from Toy Story 2, ‘Forget About the Boy’ from Thoroughly Modern Millie, ‘You Will Be Found’ from Dear Evan Hansen, and more.

Potters describes the difference for the trumpet section.

“Because I’m a trumpet, we had to stand the whole time which was something new for me because it was only us standing. Also, I have never been a part of a Jazz group before, so the music was different than what we would usually play at a normal concert,” she said

Freshman Sabrina Benali explains how the location was different than normal performances and how much she loved being a part of the Pops concert.

“It’s different because people are sitting down at tables and each part was in different parts of the cafeteria,” she said. “I performed only one time and that was for the Jazz Band, but I wish I could perform more. I thought that it was super cool to watch, perform, and hear all the choirs sing Pop songs.”

Freshman Lauren Peterson prefers the cafeteria.

“It felt like there was more energy and more fun since it was in the MPR and not the traditional auditorium,” she said.

Jones explains how the cafeteria was converted to be most effective.

“The performance took place in the lunch room which we took time to convert into 3 different stages with lighting and sound systems.  We also used tables and chairs to fill the space between the 3 stages for the audience to sit and watch,” Jones described. “The audience could enjoy complimentary popcorn as well as soda, water, and candy for sale at the concessions table.”

Students explain how preparations were fun.

“I loved preparing for the concert because it’s a program of freedom and less conservative musicianship. Pops is known for being acapella-like, causal, fun and young, and this all reflected our personalities,” Nakonechna said.

Doss enjoyed preparations because of the people she was with.

“For the Pops Concert, we had our normal rehearsals every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. I enjoyed our preparing because it was a lot of fun to play the songs that we did and everyone around me made it fun,” explained Doss.