February 1, 2023:
Something was clearly going on. Car headlights revealed a solid line of incoming traffic from all directions pointing toward the parking lot at the Manchester Elementary Middle School (MEMS). Inside the school’s gymnasium, a gathering standing room crowd of well over 600 students, siblings, friends, parents and grandparents filled the brightly lit space with happy expectation. Delayed by the pandemic, this night had been a long time coming.
Just after 6 pm the lights dimmed as MEMS Co-Principal, Deb Fishwick, stepped up to the microphone. “Welcome to the Winter Concert at MEMS,” said Fishwick. “This is our first gathering as a MEMS family since 2019. It’s good to be all together again.”
For the next hour the adoring audience reveled in the music performed by children from kindergarten through eighth grade. Parents and students alike could not help but break the fourth wall. A father sent a virtual fist bump toward the stage. A mother gave a confident thumbs up. More than one child on a platform gave a quick wave to the audience or a special smile to a parent.
The students were guided through the evening by MEMS music instructors, Hannah Yarwood and Mark Barrett. “The kids were so excited to perform for a live audience again, and many for the first time! We are back to pre-pandemic numbers of students participating in our band program, and are thrilled, said Yarwood. “Music is alive and well at MEMS! ”
“I am very proud of all the students getting up on stage and sharing their hard work and talents with the community,” added Barrett. “I am so grateful for all the support I have gotten, and the eagerness of these students in my first year here at MEMS!”
The concert opened with a series of uplifting choral performances, sung from three risers in front of the stage:
Kindergarten, First and Second grade youngsters lined up carefully on their marks before breaking out into a rendition of Little White Snowflakes: “Snowflakes, falling on my head, falling on my nose, falling in my hand.”
Third and Fourth students moved to the music as they sang the upbeat American pop song, Best Day of My Life: “I jumped so high I touched the clouds.”
The MEMS Fifth Grade Chorus proclaimed confidently they had High Hopes: “I was going to be that one in a million. Always had high, high hopes.”
The Sixth-Eighth Grade Chorus performed the Kate Bush classic that encourages seeing all perspectives in a relationship: Running Up that Hill: “Said if I only could … I’d get him to swap our places.”
With the choral section of the concert completed, attention moved to the stage for instrumental performances by both the Fifth Grade and Middle School Bands. Most of the younger students have just recently moved into music but they showcased their harmonious potential with an ensemble production of Rain Dance, featuring special effects to create the sound of a soft, summer shower.
The Sixth-Eighth Grade Band closed the show with a resounding presentation of Furioso. “You did it,” called out MEMS Co-Principal Harrison Shulman, “That was awesome!”
As the concert concluded, families and friends lingered in the auditorium. No one seemed to be in a rush to leave. Attendees responded eagerly to the call for assistance removing the chairs from the floor, “We need to change the auditorium back to a gymnasium.” Parents greeted children with high fives, “Good job!” Students gathered with families and friends for keepsake photos, “Smile, show me those crooked teeth.”
The MEMS family was back together again. It may not have been the best day of their lives, but it was a good one.
