On April 28, Cardozo’s music department hosted its annual spring concert, brining together students from various programs in the school for a night of bliss and emotions.
For the first time, the music department had a spring showcase that was independent from other departments, including dance. Usually, the two programs share a stage for a night of performances. However, dance had their own independent showcase on May 29.
The end of the school year is always filled with mixed emotions; friend meet ups take a pause as the summer comes around, seniors say goodbye to their high school days, and people mourn the loss of the year that is wrapping up. It’s usually a calm, enjoyable, yet emotional time. For many students in the music department, the end of the year also means the cumulation of a year’s worth of practice and preparation.
Prepping for the music concert is something that’s never-ending. From rehearsals to coordination to making sure stage presence is perfect; it’s a lot of work. Chorus, band, and orchestra classes all came together, along with different soloists and clubs, to make the performance happen.
Chorus students performed songs like “Welcome to the Sixties” from the popular musical, “Hairspray,” Domine Fili Unigenite” by Antonio Vivaldi, and “Cum Sancto Spiritu” by Antonio Vivaldi. Performing songs like this take time and effort as most of them are in Latin, a language not many people speak fluently.
Despite the effort and stress that preparing for a concert brings, Cardozo junior Nikoletta Argyropoulos says that preparing for the concert was overall exciting because it, “Created a sense of community around singing and brought the whole class together.”
Concert days themselves are just as stressful as the preparation. Performers have to make sure they’re cohesive, in pitch, and appealing to the audience. In addition to this complex music, solo performances and expectations can have a big impact on students. Students often feel extra pressure during performance days as they are afraid of letting their group down in any way, forgetting music, perfecting harmonies and most often, simple stage fright.
Despite all of this, students find that performing with the music department is all worth it in the end. Students often feel a sense of accomplishment, gaining this rewarding feeling after months of stress and frustration.
They also learn valuable skills such as discipline, time management, listening skills, and collaboration. These kinds of high school activities can also help students build friendships through teamwork and a sense of community or develop high confidence, giving them practice speaking, and having a public presence.
Being a part of something bigger than yourself and creating long lasting memories that have a positive impact on your life can greatly benefit you.
It can help you gain a stronger sense of identity, improve your mental wellbeing, motivate you for future goals and set a foundation for future success. The habits, work ethic, and confidence developed during this time can affect your personality and perception of yourself later into adulthood while meaningful experiences can help people discover their interests, talents, values and passions. When it all is said and done, the product can be absolutely rewarding.
The feeling of bringing your community together, entertaining them and sharing the passion you have for music can make a huge impact and Cardozo will continue to strive to make such an impact for generations to come.
