Malden High School Band Brings Their Holiday Spirit with Their Annual Winter Concert

As the years pass, it often feels like embracing the “holiday spirit” requires more deliberate effort—especially amidst the season’s challenges, such as exams, travel, or financial constraints. However, it is valuable to sit back, take an hour or two, and enjoy the key elements of the holidays that make it—as Andy Williams puts it—The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. 

Led by music director Lauren Foley, on Thursday, December 12th, 2024, the Malden High School Band Program shared the holiday spirit by putting on its beloved annual winter concert. The performances allowed friends, family, and community members alike to treasure the nostalgic music that we all know and love, as well as artistic pieces that may be less well-known.

Bonnie Littlejohn spontaneously yet beautifully conducts the wind ensemble in their performance of “A Christmas Festival.” SOPHIE LEBLANC

“This is a great way to kick off the holiday season,” remarked Kimberlee Smith, a senior clarinet player. “Feels like Christmas, doesn’t it?” 

Foley reflected upon the preparation leading up to the display. “It was really exciting preparing for the winter concert. We played several songs that I think the students and the audience really enjoyed!”

The concert started with various performances by Foley’s small ensembles class: individual groups of about four to five musicians performing about two songs each. The groups included Pneumonia (Manal AbouKhalil, Josep Galindo Gaviria, Sorin Mamouzette, Sean Cochran), setting the stage with some Green Day; Drain without the J (Amanda Souza, Imyrah Occius, Nico Sedan, Daniel Flores, Raphael Sanchez Martinez) playing “Blue Hair” by TV Girl and “Just the Two of Us” by Grover Washington Jr. and Bill Withers; and The Swashbucklers (Slade Harding, Sean Retotal, Derek Lam, Jeremiah Johnson) performing “Pasilyo” by SunKissed Lola and “Summertime” by George Gershwin. 

Wind ensemble clarinet players John Tran and Kimberlee Smith performing “Russian Christmas Music.” SOPHIE LEBLANC

With the winter concert representing, in many ways, nostalgia and yearly reflection, many senior musicians contemplated what the band program has meant to them throughout the years. 

For senior band president and tenor saxophone player Addison McWayne, band was not always a smooth sailing ride. “In middle school, I thought I was going to quit when I got to high school… but that band community my freshman year was some of the best people I’ve ever met.”

Senior Vice President Sean Retotal initially joined band in middle school as a way to skip gym class, but as time progressed, he grew a love for the program and as a senior, his experience in the program has shaped him into so much more. “It was the best decision I ever made,” he recalled. “It really allowed me to be creative.”

Compared to her middle school band, junior clarinet player Dagny Boswell shared, “It’s so much more serious. We’re doing music that’s so much better for who we are as people. It’s a different experience.”

“I love the band community and playing music, and under the direction of Ms. Foley, I have really discovered who I can be in music,” continued McWayne.

Following the small ensemble groups, the lights switched to a vibrant crimson, and The Bald Ensemble, a newly formed wind ensemble group, performed two Randall Standridge pieces: “Shadow Cove March”–telling the tale of pirates on a mysterious island–and “Scream”—an exciting piece that utilized an Aztec death whistle to create a haunting roaring effect.

Then, the concert band, which is intended to serve as an introduction to high school band, showcased remarkable cohesion in “The Polar Express” despite some having only picked up an instrument that year.

“The start of the year always feels a little unsteady as the students get to know each other and each group figures out what their sound is,” admitted Foley, “but come the winter concert, everything tends to fall right into place.”

Despite the concerts’ rousing success, the musicians still had to overcome various obstacles, both as a group and personally.

Only joining band this year, Smith reflected on the natural challenges of stepping into a new environment: “Everyone else in the class has been playing consistently for years, so that’s been challenging, but I’ve enjoyed learning from others.”

Students found that one major challenge was “Twas’ The Night Before Christmas,” the only piece that combined the concert band and the wind ensemble.

MHS faculty member Pat Laidley captivating the audience with a  narration of “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” SOPHIE LEBLANC

“Because it’s combined, we had to practice outside of school time instead of using class time to do it…Part of band is making sure your sound is together, that the intonation is good. It was a little challenging to find a balance between that when we weren’t seeing each other every day,” explained McWayne.

Despite this, the song was also a fan favorite, featuring MHS faculty members Stephen Nedell and Pat Laidley narrating to add playful snippets from the picture book we all know and love. 

The wind ensemble, a smaller group mostly comprised of upperclassmen, joined the stage to perform two grandiose arrangements––“How to Train Your Dragon” and “Russian Christmas Music”––that blew the audience away.

The highlight of the night, however, was the wind ensemble’s final performance of “A Christmas Festival”, conducted not by Foley, but by an audience member. As a raffle-style fundraiser, one audience member was offered the chance to conduct the song, regardless of any prior musical experience. While this could have easily resulted in a humorous display, the lucky winner was none other than Bonnie Littlejohn, a previous conductor and drum major. The song was artfully conducted––each gesture landing perfectly––which created a beautifully spontaneous display that truly captured the spirit of Christmas.

“I hope that the students gained the sense of community that music brings, not only between the students but also with our audience,” concluded Foley. “I think this concert had one of the largest crowds that I have seen for our instrumental concerts in the last few years, and I’m really excited to continue building connections with our community and give people a fun night of music!”

Following the concert, every student seemed to agree that the most emotionally challenging aspect of the winter concert was that it marked the beginning of the end for their dedicated seniors. With the holiday season and the new year, in many ways, symbolizing both joy and growth, it is clear that taking the time to rest, curating memories with the people we love, and inevitably, letting certain things go is as essential as ever. Boswell captured it perfectly in brevity: “It’s a celebration and a goodbye.”

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