Music is a major part of the holiday season for many people, no matter where they come from or which holidays they celebrate, and the music department here at Springfield works hard to carry this into our school. The band, chorus, and Tri-M members and officers have been participating in and planning many performances and activities throughout December to celebrate the season. From singing in the hallways to singing in the city. They always seem to be busy spreading the holiday cheer through their music. The students who participate in these events enjoy promoting festivities and building a sense of community during the holidays. The groups helped to explain the current and upcoming plans for the music department throughout the season.

B101 Recording

Every year, the concert choir participates in B101’s Christmas Choir competition, learning, recording, and submitting their own take on a holiday song; however, the process doesn’t always seem to be an easy one. Junior, Jack Ochab said, “[The process of learning the song] was terrible. [They] didn’t like singing this song because it was really difficult, and it didn’t sound good when we sang it, but it paid off because the end result sounded great.”

Sophomore, Sophia Cafiero, said that the recording process was “very interesting. [They] had to do a bunch of different takes.” Despite the challenges that the singers faced along the way, they are overall satisfied with their performance, and their hard work certainly paid off!  Their rendition of “Jazz Waltz of the Sugar Plum Fairy” is accessible by clicking on the link at the top of the page.

Hallway Performances

 The school’s Tri-M chapter is  bringing holiday songs directly to the hallways throughout the month of December. Sophomore, Abby Hay said that select choir members are singing songs such as “‘The Hanukkah Song’, ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’, and ‘Jingle Bells’ starting on December 5th, and [they’ll] be singing on Fridays during D block throughout the month.”

Hay said that the singers prepared for their caroling “for the last month or so. [They] got a couple of people from each voice part to practice each of the songs, and [they] figured out which sections of the school to go to and which songs to sing.” As for the band, Hay explained that, “the band is playing on the 22nd, the last day of school before break, in between classes.”  

Rotary Luncheon

The choir’s holiday performances don’t stop in school. Every year, the concert choir performs for the wider Springfield community outside. Sophomore, Sophia Cafiero said, “On the 16th, [they] went to sing at Phil’s Tavern for a luncheon for the Rotary Club. [They] sang a bunch of songs, like ‘White Christmas’, and ‘Carol of the Bells’, and a lot more.” 

Silent Night Sing-In

Outside of Springfield, the music department is joining with a larger Philadelphia community at the Kimmel Center to sing all together. The group is “looking forward to maybe seeing friends and also getting to sing with a new, diverse group of people,” says senior Isaac Darga. Darga also hopes that this opportunity will “increase [their] awareness and musical knowledge in [the] greater Philadelphia community.” With the holidays being a popular time to celebrate with music, “it’s the perfect time to share music with the community.”