With the various eye-catching music electives at Malden High School, such as the Rock & Alternative Ensemble class and the Piano & Guitar class, Lauren Foley, who has been teaching at Malden High School for almost four years, is a key piece of the instrumental music program.
One thing in common within the instrumental music program is their participation in the annual Winter Instrumental Concert, which was hosted December 11th in the Jenkins Auditorium, warming the audience with an array of unique performances.
To participate in the concert students must ask Foley for approval or you must be a part of Rock Ensembles, Concert Band, or Wind Ensembles, as “performing is a requirement for the three classes involved,” Foley shared.
Just like any other major arts or musical event, a vast amount of preparation must occur. “We usually start preparing for the concert towards the end of October/start of November. We work on the music in class and then we have a dress rehearsal the night before the concert,” added Foley.
To start the concert off, several students participating in the Rock Ensembles class performed in their respective groups. The mix of guitars, vocals, basses, piano, and drums demonstrated each group’s intense practice and distinctive tastes. The songs performed ranged from “See You Again” by Tyler the Creator and Kali Uchis to “All of Me” by Michael Buble, all of which received intense support and love from the audience.
Senior Nicholas Li shared his desire to have joined the Rock Ensembles class earlier, as he had previous experience performing in a band during Junior Varieties. “I found out about this course my Junior year after my bandmates from Junior Varieties encouraged me to join their class. This would be my first time participating in a class like this,” Li noted.
Once all of the Rock Ensemble bands finished performing, the Concert Band took the stage, switching the atmosphere from a modern one to a traditional one. Their performance of “Holiday Wish” by Randall Standridge filled the audience with Christmas warmth, preparing them for the next holiday themed performances.
Next, Foley briefly introduced the next performers, the Bald Ensemble, making sure the audience realized that the band is purely student-run. Their performance of “A Rollicking Hanukkah” by Randall Standridge, which was conducted by Senior Matt Jason Chen, truly highlighted just how much passion the student-run band has.
Last, the Wind Ensemble performed Snow on Snow by Megan Vinther and their annual closing piece: “A Christmas Festival” by Leroy Anderson, where they performed with Santa hats on. While performing “A Christmas Festival,” multiple seniors had the chance to go up to the front and conduct the band for some time while Foley joined the band playing her native flute.
To end the concert, the seniors showcased their appreciation towards Foley as senior Lincoln Boswell spoke about how much Foley has helped him grow as a musician while gifting her flowers. Once the concert ended the audience was extremely enthusiastic and talkative, going to show the success of the night. “We put in a lot of work into it and I think it shows,” junior Atticus Smith, a Rock Ensembles performer, concluded.
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