As the Festival of Wreaths comes to the end of its auction timeframe, so too do their performances. Nov. 30 marked the last of them and JoAnn Spence鈥檚 musical concert was the one to wrap it up.
As the second of three musical events, students from the Kristen Raney Music School bravely performed renditions of popular Christmas tunes at the Humboldt & District Gallery on Nov. 23.
鈥淭hey did really well. I was very proud of the kids,鈥� said Kristen Raney, the young students鈥� music teacher. 鈥淔or some of them, it was their first recital so they sang a little scared, but all in all it went really well.鈥�
Indeed, anyone paying attention could tell that some of the youngsters were a little nervous. Nevertheless, despite a gallery packed with people, photographers with massive lenses, and no peers to stand beside for support, each student went up with a brave face and a ready voice.
According to Raney, they began practicing for their performances back in October, which made things a bit more difficult because of the season switch.
鈥�(The only challenge) was that the concert was a bit early so to get Christmas songs, we had to start practicing before Halloween, which, kids usually don鈥檛 want to start then, but it was fine,鈥� said Raney.
All together, 10 kids performed Christmas classics such as 鈥淲e Wish You a Merry Christmas,鈥� 鈥淚 Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,鈥� and 鈥淟et It Snow.鈥� Some performed on the piano while others sang.
Of course, the concert wasn鈥檛 just a free cute reprieve on a Sunday afternoon; it was also a way to bring people to the gallery.
鈥淚t was at the gallery because we鈥檙e trying to promote more entertainment out there,鈥� said Brenda Duerr, the museum and gallery鈥檚 supervisor. 鈥淲e want more people to use the facility and we just want them to come. This is a new crowd coming and they鈥檝e never been to the gallery before. It鈥檚 a perfect way to get them there.鈥�
More than that, it鈥檚 a way for the Festival of Wreaths to get more exposure. Since it鈥檚 one of the museum and gallery鈥檚 biggest fundraisers for the year, the more people that bid at the auction, the better it鈥檒l be for them.
In the end though, this concert was just a bit of Christmas cheer for anyone who wanted to come.
鈥淭he recital was a way to let the young children experience what it was like to perform in front of an audience,鈥� said Duerr. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like a pre-festival, like a music festival.鈥�
Raney said it was a great day and the turnout was better than expected. The kids were excited to have a chance to perform and put their hard work to the test.
鈥淭he best part was seeing the smiles on the kids鈥� faces and that sense of accomplishment when they were done,鈥� said Raney.
Even better, it seemed as though each concert seemed to bring in more and more people. While there weren鈥檛 any empty seats at Raney鈥檚 concert, Spence鈥檚 subsequent concert the following Sunday was packed with even more people. Not only were seats filled to the back of the gallery, there were also individuals standing at the back.
鈥�(Spence) usually packs the audience in,鈥� said Duerr. 鈥淗er kids enjoy coming and the parents enjoy coming to watch them. It鈥檚 a chance to get to sit in front of a crowd, so it鈥檚 a nice and intimate space.鈥�
Some students even performed more than once song. One student stood out while playing a violin towards the end. According to Spence, many of them had been practicing since just after Halloween.
鈥淚t was awesome,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here were actually five extra kids that showed up ... For me there was no challenge; I just didn鈥檛 want to miss any of the kids on the list.鈥�
Spence said she was lucky that all she had to do (aside from training the youths) was be there and keep on top of the list of kids who had to perform. The gallery had everything set up for her.
鈥淭he kids do the work of preparing. I just show them off,鈥� she said.
While some kids had obviously been working at their recitals for quite some time, some were only able to start preparing the previous week. Nevertheless, everyone went to the front and did their best. There was even a cute moment when a very young child worked up the courage to step up聽 to the keyboard.
鈥淭he best part was the enjoyment and satisfaction the kids have getting up there and being able to perform,鈥� said Spence. 鈥淪ome have only had eight weeks to practice, but it doesn鈥檛 have to be perfect. They hear other kids and it doesn鈥檛 make them so nervous.鈥�
