Aragon’s music department hosted its annual Music Potluck on Wednesday, Oct. 3. This free concert held in the gym featured all of Aragon’s music groups.
The lineup included five bands, two orchestras, three choirs and student a cappella groups, performing one song each.
“When one group performs at a concert, they perform more than just one piece,” said band director Kevin Gallagher. “[Usually] between four and six pieces. If every group did that at one concert, it’d be like a three hour long concert, so we split it up usually.”
Students said they also looked forward to the social aspect of the concert.
“It’s unique that we’re all coming together,” said sophomore Alexandra Tonas, a tuba player in the wind ensemble. “It’s only once that we’re all coming together and just eating food and playing music.”
Sophomore saxophone player Madelyn Tarara is a new student at Aragon and hoped that the potluck would be a good bonding event.
“I’m looking forward to really getting to know everybody in the music program, because it’s the only opportunity where you really get to do that,” Tarara said.
The potluck is also an opportunity for players to see other ensembles perform.
“I’m really looking forward to hearing the symphonic band play since they are a higher level band than the one I’m in,” said freshman Evan Yang, a trumpet player in the concert band.
“Last year, I was a freshman in wind ensemble, [and]I really enjoyed my experience meeting new people from different grades and bands,” Tonas said. “I’m looking forward to meeting new people and having better experiences in wind ensemble.”
Other aspects of the event, like the location, make it different from the Aragon’s other concerts.
“It’s in the gym,” said John Chen, Aragon’s orchestra and choir director. “Usually, all concerts are in the theatre. There’s food involved; there’s families. The people are able to relax and eat while hearing the groups, so it’s not as intense as it would be in the theatre.”
Gallagher was excited for many aspects of the potluck.
“First of all, I want[ed] to see how the students will do in their first performance, because that’s also a telltale sign for how it will be for the rest of the school year. I also want[ed] to see how the parents are going to react to the performances to gauge where I should be, as far as bringing the music to the parents,” Gallagher said. “I [was] also interested in meeting the parents and having our first event. [It was nice to be] able to play in an environment that’s more relaxed than a formal concert.”
Not only being was the potluck unique in location, but it is the only concert where families share food.
“The food makes the event more holistic and more communal,” Chen said. “Families will be eating while the students are taking turns performing.”
The concert was also an opportunity to promote socializing within the music community.
“It’s not only for the music, but it’s also a social event for the parents and for the students to meet each other,” Gallagher said. “It’s a way for the Music Boosters to promote themselves for more membership.”
The Aragon music department has been hosting the concert annually for as long as Chen can remember.
“ I graduated from here, I was from the music department and it’s always been a thing,” Chen said. “As far as I know, the last thirty years, so maybe even when Aragon started. Maybe the last fifty years.”
