With songs from classical pieces like “Sleeping Beauty Waltz” to “Funky Town,” band has it all for their Rhapsody in Blue show on Dec. 3-4. The group will have their three hour winter concert, “Rhapsody” where each individual band has a piece to perform followed by performances by the different instrument sections.

Following the end of  marching season, students have rehearsals every week leading up to the concert.

“We have a Rhapsody week before the concert where every day we go [and] practice, get everything ready, [and] do a couple rounds of the show,” tuba section leader Eshan Kabir said. 

Rhapsody is almost entirely student-led. Section leaders pick out the music they want their group to perform, and rehearsals are instructed by them.

“It’s very student organized,” Kabir said. “There’s a bunch of student ensembles playing that are students’ responsibility to get everyone together, practice and get the pieces right.”

Since the song selection is so diverse, section leaders had a lot of creative freedom. Section leaders were able to pick anything they thought would fit well for their instrument. Some songs that will be heard include “Take on Me” from the trombones and “The Nightmare Before Christmas” from the symphonic band. 

This is the one concert where students are able to write their own music and perform what they want to in front of their family and friends. 

“I think the biggest benefit is just to show everyone what we’ve been working on, to perform and show how far we’ve come since the beginning of the year,” freshman trombone player Annabelle Etz said.

Not only does Rhapsody benefit each section as a whole, but also helps the players themselves as individuals. 

“One of the hardest pieces that I have played were for Rhapsody, so it’s really helped me expand my capabilities as a player,” Kabir said. “I’ve written for some of the ensembles as well so it really helps with my writing capabilities.”

Tickets for the concert on Dec. 3 are already sold out, but tickets for Dec. 4 at 10 a.m. can be purchased through the Google form sent to band students for $8.