Both band and choir have started preparing for their holiday concerts, choir on Dec. 5 at Central and band on Dec. 7 here in the auxiliary gym.

As the holidays approach, the musical groups of the school are working on festive music to fit the season. Choir students say they are having fun with their practice as they get ready.

“You learn a lot in choir, and it really is just a lot of fun, especially because Mr. Nielsen is an amazing teacher and you can really get into it because during class as we’re singing, we may start dancing in place to some really good songs. It’s really just a ton of fun,” said junior Seaonna Strischek.

The winter concert for choir will also include Pirate Choir, Slam Funk, the Mariachi band, and Pulse. Many groups will have some time to perform.

“Mostly I’m trying to provide the opportunity for all of our musicians to get better at what they do,” said choir director Paul Nielsen. “I do that through challenging them with a wide variety of different kinds of music. I’m always trying to push the level of difficulty higher and higher.”

The musicians will be performing songs such as “White Christmas,” “Mr. Santa,” “Sleigh Ride,” and many more between them.

“My favorite thing about band is being a part of something bigger than the sum of its parts,” said junior Walker Wilson. “For instance, if you’re playing the triangle, and you have two notes in the entire song, that part isn’t that impressive by itself, but when it’s combined with the rest of the band, those notes are placed specifically to convey some kind of emotion and feeling.”

The choir concert will be at Grayslake Central High School at 7:30 p.m. and the band concert will be in the auxiliary gym also at 7:30 p.m.

“Choir is a great place to be if you like singing and especially with other people. It’s a great place to learn and work on your voice. I highly recommend everyone to join or check it out,” said treble honors member Neilla Janssen.