EDUCATION
Clifton Ridge Middle School held their Winter Band Concert before Christmas break, showing off what band students at the school have learned since the beginning of the school year with some holiday spirit.
Lori Johnson, Clifton Ridge Middle School band director, said she was excited for the Winter Band Concert this year. She said her students worked hard to prepare for the evening.
“We held our Winter Band Concert here at Clifton Ridge before break, and every band student at the school performed,” she said. “Sixth grade students performed for the very first time, so it was exciting to hear them for their first big concert.”
She said it’s important for band students at Clifton Ridge Middle School to become comfortable performing in front of an audience. It’s also important to show families and the community what the students have been working towards.
Tucker Hill, a sixth-grade band student at Clifton Ridge Middle School, said it was important for him to perform at the Winter Band Concert at Clifton Ridge Middle School, because he wanted his family to see how much he has learned since the beginning of the school year. He said he wants to do marching band in high school, but he plans on becoming an architect and not pursuing a career in music once he graduates.
“We played nine songs, then the seventh and eighth graders played after us. This was my first concert, so it was pretty exciting. I was inspired to join the band, because of my sister. She convinced me to join, and it was nice for my family to get to see me perform,” he said.
The band director said it was great to see her seventh graders and eighth graders perform, showing off what they have learned just a year or two later. She said all of her students have come a long way, and she’s always proud of them.
Johnson said the students have had band class every day to prepare for the Winter Band Concert, where they had to learn how to read music and play their instruments. She said putting it all together into Christmas music is always fun.
“My favorite part of this concert each year is seeing the sixth graders get so excited about their first concert,” Johnson said. “They just started playing instruments in September, and they started from scratch not knowing anything about the instruments. It’s exciting to see them come together and show what they have learned in such a short time. I’m really proud of all of my students and their accomplishments.”
