The Student News Site of Newton North High School

The Newtonite

The Newtonite

The Newtonite

Follow Us on Twitter
PRINT SPECIALS

Preview: Pops Night to supply fun, relaxed atmosphere

[media-credit name=”Nina Kaplan” align=”alignnone” width=”300″][/media-credit]

Senior Joy Kang and sophomore Sarah Shy rehearse for Pops Night with the rest of the Orchestra during G-block.

by Leah Budson

There is only one night a year when all of the music ensembles perform. On this night, Pops Night, the cafeteria is typically packed with 500 to 600 students, parents, community members and teachers, according to fine and performing arts department head Todd Young.

Pops Night, Thursday, May 17, will commence at 6 p.m. with a potluck dinner, supplied by music students. At 7, the music will begin, according to Young.

“It’s supposed to be a fun, light hearted celebration of the year’s work,” he said.

Each ensemble will perform one or two songs, said Young.

“The pieces are a little less serious when compared to the rest of the year. It can be a really rich experience for students to do more traditional music, but it’s also fun to explore as many types of music as possible,” he said.

Music award and scholarship recipients will be announced after all the ensemble perform, explained Young.

“The cool thing is that the awards encompass all aspects of the music department,” Young said. “There’s a jazz award, a vocal award, a string award and more.”

[media-credit name=”Nina Kaplan” align=”alignleft” width=”300″][/media-credit]

Junior Allysa Lujares practices the violin in preparation for Pops Night, which will be Thursday, May 17 in the auditorium.

“The final award is the Henry Lasker Award, named for a former music teacher at this school. Although he was long before my time, I hear he was a real force within the music department,” Young said.

“The award goes to a student who has really embodied the total picture of the music department, and I’m a big believer that that means so much more than playing your instrument well. It also encompasses being a team player, showing up on time and just being an overall good person.”

Unlike other concerts, Pops Night is about more than just the music, said Young. “We’ll work hard, and we’ll make the best music we can, but Pops Night is less about putting on the perfect formal show and more about the community.”

Leave a Comment
Donate to The Newtonite
More to Discover
Donate to The Newtonite

Comments (0)

All The Newtonite Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *