Sanford Middle School celebrated the spirit of the season with its Winter Concert held at the Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, December 13th.
The event showcased the talent and hard work of the school's band and chorus members in front of a packed audience. The 6th grade band was the first on stage as they performed their own renditions of "The Maya Kingdom" by Victor Lopez and "Dance Celebration" by Robert W. Smith.
"The 6th graders played their pieces very well," said Dee Ames, the 5th and 6th Grade Band Director. "I couldn't have asked for better. I was especially proud of Maya Kingdom."
"All sections played great, and we all loved 'Santa The Barbarian,'" she added.
7th grade band members followed with performances of "Toboggan Run" by Matt Conaway, "Moonlight Bliss" by Adrian B. Sims, and "Santa The Barbarian" by Randall Standridge under the guidance of 7th and 8th Grade Band Director Erica Scarano.
There was a special moment during the 8th grade band performance. Students chose to honor classmate Chace Fromwiller, who recently passed away from cancer, by performing the "Imperial March" from Star Wars because he was a big fan of the movie. A group of students also took the lead in cutting and preparing ribbons for the performers and audience members. The band also signed a poster for Chace's family and prepared a speech for the audience.
"I am so proud of all of the kids that performed last night," Scarano said. "Dee and I have been working very hard the last few years to build our programs in quality and quantity. I believe that last night was a true testament to our hard work and dedication and the amazing support from the Sanford community and our incredible SMS staff and administration."
Following a brief intermission, it was time for the chorus members to shine. The 5th grade chorus began their segment with a performance of the folk songs "One Bottle of Pop Partner Song" and "No School Tomorrow." Their performances were directed by Music Teacher Katie Spagnolo.The finale of the Winter Concert was put on by the voices of the 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade chorus members as they sang "Goin' On a Sleigh Ride," and "January Hymn" under the direction of Music Teacher Justin Pietruch.
"Our Winter Concert was a huge success," Pietruch said. "All of our students performed well for a packed house and a wonderfully supportive and receptive audience. I'm especially proud of the chorus students' level of professionalism and look forward to our performances in the spring."