GC offers an incredible music program in which students can showcase their musical talents. There are a variety of bands and choirs. Speaking of this, GC music concerts are one of the most representative and thrilling events. The third combined Christmas Concert is around the corner! It is on December 8th (Friday). The Jazz Ensemble will start performing in the gallery with some Hot Chocolate and Christmas Cookies at 6:30. Then, the choir and band performances will begin at 7:00 in the PAC. As of now, the concert is sold out, although you may be able to purchase a ticket at the door. All ticket sales go to the Music Trip Scholarship Fund. If you can do not miss this opportunity to enjoy an amazing and fun time! 

Preparation for concerts: 

Both the students and teachers in the music program put in much effort in preparing in order to perform with the best of their abilities. Because of the inadequate time provided for preparation, teachers and students need to work particularly hard to ensure having the best performances. Utilizing the time is prominent. Usually in class time, teachers start practicing with the students directly. Rehearsal time is also important as the teachers and students need to be familiar with the performances by running down the whole procedure. This allows them to obtain more chances to practice and prepare for the concerts. 

Students: 

During class and rehearsal time, students need to pay attention to the teachers to keep up with the progress. Students are required to show up at all rehearsals unless there is an approved absence. If they have any questions on difficult parts, they ask the teacher to clarify and work on improving. In addition, they are expected to dedicate their own extra time at home to practice their singing or instruments playing parts so that they can perform proficiently. Overall, the preparation work for students is reasonable and not overwhelming. 

Teachers: 

Teachers also need to work in preparation for the concert. In order to understand the teachers’ job for the concert, we interviewed the GC choir director, Mr. Spottswood. According to Mr. Spottswood, the teachers first pick the repertoire for the concert. Then, they schedule the calendar for the dates and time of the rehearsals and concert. After that, they reserve the PAC for rehearsals and setting up the stage or equipment.​​ They also need to hire extra musicians and accompanists. During rehearsal and class time, they work with students and ensure they know the music well. Besides musical preparation, there is extra work such as assisting with advertisements to invite people to the concert and informing parents. Last but not least, they practice their conducting and instrument playing in the concerts in their own time. Many students might assume that teachers’ jobs for the concert are easy, in fact, they do a lot of preparation work behind the scenes. At the end of the interview, Mr. Spottswood shared his opinions about the concert. “I’m excited about the concert, it’s good to put the bands and choirs together. It is an opportunity to launch people into the Christmas season,”. 

The feelings of the school community: 

Five Falcons were surveyed about how they feel about the concert, and all of them showed their excitement. Emma Paparizos ‘26, a sophomore at GC, said that she is excited about it based on her wonderful experience at the Christmas concert last year. Julian Zhu ‘27, a freshman GC international student, also stated that she is looking forward to the concert. “It provides an opportunity for students to celebrate and worship Christmas with friends and music. This is something I didn’t really get a chance to do in China,” said Julian. 

Concert overview: 

The Christmas concert will be on December 8th Friday from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at the PAC. If time permits, you should arrive early by 6:30 p.m. in the gallery to enjoy some hot chocolate and Christmas cookies with brief performances by the Jazz Ensemble. Unlike other concerts, this concert will be special as it will be a combined concert with our bands and all choirs performing together instead of having separate concerts. 

Here is the order of the concert provided by Mr. Kramer, GC Band Director: 

1. Jazz band 
2. Chamber choir
3. Wind/strings 
4. All choirs 
5. All instrumental 
6. All (both choirs and instrumentals) 

According to him, the whole idea is to start out small, then keep adding more, and at the end, everybody joins in to perform Christmas music as a whole. 

Students and teachers in the music program put earnest efforts into preparing for this Christmas concert so that they can give the best performance. Overall, the school community is excited and looking forward to the concert. Hence, the GC Christmas concert is worth going to with no doubt.