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KATIE ZERR: MPHS music program is outstanding


I am sitting at my desk, so ramped up I couldn’t do my normal Tuesday night work. Usually I am here setting stories and pictures on the templates that will be sent through three other computers and on to the press on Wednesday at noon.
It is a tedious job. If I am in the wrong frame of mind, it is accompanied by threats to my computer and language that would have made my daddy disappointed in me.
But not tonight. I am sitting at this computer reliving a series of events that have made me at once proud, joyful, giggly, thoughtful and enjoying memories.
I am talking about the Mobridge-Pollock School music concerts.
Each Christmas season, I have the assignment to attend the concerts, take pictures and bring some of the action to the pages of the paper.
For several years, while his son, Michael, sang in the choir, Jay attended the high school concert. Michael graduated last year, so I have attended all five holiday concerts.
From the little ones to the high schoolers all were enjoyable and so well done.
Beginning with the elementary schools, the kids were so good and most seemed to love what they were doing.
Those attending smiled through the songs, the kids’ speaking parts and of course their first instrumental pieces.
Nancy McClellan does a super job with the younger kids, injecting a love for music and a desire to take what they learned with them into the upper years.
I left each concert giggling at something the little ones had pulled off.
I truly enjoyed the Middle School concert on Monday. The bands were so good for this stage of the game. They impressed me with the music and the difficulty of the selections they played.
The choir was outstanding. They did not sound like middle schoolers. They are talented beyond their years and we have so much to look forward to in the next few years with this group.
But nothing prepared me for the MPHS concert on Tuesday night.
From the first stanza of the first piece the band played, there was a smile of surprise on my face. They are excellent. The music was top notch and so well presented.
Miss Biggs is an excellent instructor. The musicians are talented. Their pieces made me filled with holiday spirit.
The first part of the program was so much more than I expected.
Then the choirs sang. I didn’t think it was possible to enjoy the music anymore than I already had, but I was wrong.
Those kids left me in tears at one point during the presentation. They put so much into their music and their love for it shows.
From the very first song, I was on the edge of my seat. It was beautiful, joyful, haunting, funny and at some points, beyond any expectations one might have.
When they sang “Silent Night,” my dad’s favorite Christmas song, I closed my eyes and took in the wonder of their beautiful voices. I wished my dad could have been sitting beside me.
I could see the tears in daddy’s eyes as he listened to every note. It would have brought such joy to his soul as it did to mine.
They completed the night with a near perfect cover of a song by Pentatonix. A mixture of harmony and rhythm that was outstanding.
The band finished the night with a rousing “Christmas at the Circus” piece that was the perfect tree topper. It was incredible.
I wish everyone in this community could have heard what that concert crowd heard.
I encourage everyone to keep an eye out for the concert videos they play on the community channel during the holiday. I will certainly pass on the times for the videos, as it is a can’t-miss holiday experience.
We should be so proud of our music department. For years, we have had such talented kids and outstanding teachers that we have become spoiled. We expect greatness.
They certainly pulled that off Tuesday and all concert season.
But Tuesday night is one I will not soon forget.
Students of the Mobridge-Pollock music program, thank you for making the season so much brighter. From the little ones to the seniors, you filled my heart with the sound of the season.
I can’t wait until next year.

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