Naturally, bands want to perform music for others to hear.
With COVID-19 mitigations limiting when and where bands can perform, Mendota High School band director Paula Baker found a way to get her students’ music out to the public.
The MHS band will be performing Christmas music on Facebook Live from 11:50 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. Dec. 4, Dec. 8, Dec. 10, Dec. 14, Dec. 16, Dec. 18 and Dec. 22 on the Mendota High School Band Facebook page.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have in-person learning so far this year. Band is normally a ‘performance-based’ curricular class, basically meaning that the students in the program want to learn/play music for others to hear,” Baker said. “We have prepared for many different versions of caroling, always based around performing for the community.
"With the current mitigations keeping us from in-person and outdoor events, Facebook Live seemed to be a way to streamline our music out to the community.”
The band will perform in small groups following current National Federation of High Schools and CDC guidelines for indoor performances, which includes PPE for the students and their instruments.
Band students not playing their instruments will sing along from the auditorium seats.
“They seem fairly stoked,” Baker said. “I was nervous they would be upset about another canceled performance and only going live, but within the first few minutes I heard/saw students game-planning matching outfits and solidifying performance lists. I think they’re pumped, and I know I am.
“Rule No. 3 from The Code of Elves [in then movie ‘Elf’]: The best way to spread Christmas cheer is [playing] loud for all to hear.”
The students will perform classic Christmas carols. Each group will choose its own songs from a book of 37 options. The groups will play each song twice — once to establish the song and a second time to encourage the audience to sing along.
“They have complete autonomy to choose [songs],” Baker said. “We’ve talked through what makes a great lineup for a setlist and how to collaborate as a group when choosing songs. It will be just as much a surprise for me as it will be for the listeners.”
To add some “festive spice,” the band members decorated the stage and their instruments.
“This year has been difficult, and it’s very hard to play by all the constantly changing rules, but the students have been troopers,” Baker said. “We want to share some music and some holiday spirit.”
The Facebook Live series isn’t the first online performance the MHS band has done this school year. The band held a virtual concert in November.
“Our virtual concert was fairly successful,” Baker said. “We had instrument family ensembles perform shorter pieces, the choir groups had larger pieces and one band piece that was actually two recordings layered on top of each other.
“The community feedback was very encouraging and full of gratitude. It was nice to be able to put out a performance for everyone to hear.”