On Oct. 14, the Aragon music department held one of its first concerts of the year, the Fall Potluck Concert. The event was hosted in the South Gym and included food for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The main purpose of the potluck is to bring our families together, and it’s the first performance of the season,” said director of bands Kevin Gallagher. “It’s a showcase of what we can do, as well as a social event for our parents.”
At the event, all of Aragon’s music groups performed, including the choirs, bands, orchestras and student-led ensembles, including the acapella groups.
“The main purpose of the potluck is to bring our families together, and it’s the first performance of the season”
For English teacher Gary Mitchell, the highlight of the show was the Jazz Ensemble’s rendition of “Manteca” by Dizzy Gillespie, Walter Gil Fuller and Luciano Pozo Gonzalez and arranged by Mike Tomaro.
“I’m partial to the Jazz Ensemble because I was in Jazz Ensemble when I was in high school,” Mitchell said. “They not only give me nostalgia, but the move and groove … is just super fun. I’ve been having a blast … I love the Latin number they did. It really spoke to me as a Latino myself. ”
Students remarked on how the group dynamic translated to the stage performance.
“I really liked the Jazz Ensemble performance,” said senior and Chamber Orchestra member Niki Yoon. “They have a really good group. It just flows really well. You can see the conductor and he doesn’t have to do much. It’s kind of on the students to just lead each other which is really cool.”
Other groups that performed include “The Straight A-ths,” a brass band made up of 5 students who played the song “Vehicle” by the Ides of March.
“I really enjoyed the Straight A-ths because of [their] energy and how dramatic it was,” said junior Jake Sakamoto. “It was a cool group to listen and watch.”
“There’s chow mein made by somebody who deserves a hug from me because it was really, really good.”
The potluck is not just known for its music. Parents and students also bring a wide variety of food for everyone to share at the event. The food is something that the music program has not been able to have for the past years due to COVID, and was brought back this year for the first time since the pandemic.
“I listen[ed] to the wonderful music and enjoy[ed] some wonderful food,” said sophomore Conor Reidy. “I had some empanadas as well as a wide range of food.”
The potluck served a variety of dishes, including both purchased and homemade dishes of many different cuisines.
“I love Chinese food and there’s a ton here,” Mitchell said. “There’s chow mein made by somebody who deserves a hug from me because it was really, really good. [The] pigs in a blanket I had [were] also awesome.”
Beyond the food and the music, people enjoyed the overall atmosphere of the concert.
“The environment of the potluck seems very friendly,” Reidy said. “You can see so many people socializing. It’s very nice.”
“There’s so many people in the audience. It’s really nice to see how supportive not only the community is, but the school is for these kids and their art.”
Mitchell enjoyed seeing support for the music department at the Fall Potluck Concert.
“The potluck has so much more food than I was expecting,” Mitchell said. “There’s so many people in the audience. It’s really nice to see how supportive not only the community is, but the school is for these kids and their art.”
The next concert by the music department will be the choir and orchestra concert on Dec. 2.
