The stage lights turn on. The audience watches as the high school band walks out onto the stage. Director Andrew Perkins introduces himself and speaks a bit about the concert program for the evening. The instruments raise and the members of the band begins its annual holiday concert.

“Personally, I’ve put about 30 hours of my own into practicing,” freshman Emily Hayes said. “I’ve become a far better performer than I was a few months ago. As a whole, my class practices every class day. Sometimes we focus on one song more than another. For instance, songs that have a lot of runs get more time spent on them.”

All grades, ranging from 9th-12th, will be showcased at the show. The bands began preparation for the concert at the beginning of the school year. From that point on, the multiple bands practice every day, in class and on their own time, working on things like dynamics.

“I expect it to be a really good show,” Hayes said. “We work really hard as a group to be professional, and that will be really clear to the audience. We work really hard with dynamics, which is important when you want to sound like a mature band.”

The audience will be able to see the different ensembles perform a variety of songs, with a touch of Christmas influence.

“The Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble and the Jazz Orchestra will be playing,” director Andrew Perkins said. “They are performing traditional music and some holiday music can be expected.”

After all of the bands perform individually, they will join forces to put on a grand finale.

“For a grand finale, all three bands will join together,” Perkins said. “They are performing a rendition of the classic Christmas song ‘Ode to Joy.’ I think the audience will be impressed by all of the bands combining to perform one song.”

The concert will take place on Dec. 8 at 7:30 p.m. in the Ruby Zima Auditorium. Admission is free, but seating is limited so arriving early is suggested.