A Close Look at the Seasonal Sights & Sounds Concert!

The Seasonal Sights and Sounds Celebration was a schoolwide event with Middle School, Upper school, and other members of the Ridley community, participating and appreciating the arts at Ridley. Each talent showcase involved in this celebration ranged from musical performances in the Mandeville Theatre, Second Century Building, and Paterson Performance Hall, to an open art exhibition in the recently renovated Iggulden Art Hall.

Firstly, the Grade 7 to 9 performance took place in the Paterson Performance Hall, highlighting the talents and artistic commitments of Ridley’s junior students. Some talented solo performers also took the stage to dazzle the crowd. This led many attendees to the Upper School Art Gallery Exhibition (in the newly-built Leggat Family Art Gallery), showcasing creative student projects and pieces from OSSD to IB Visual Arts and Tech Design - along with Grade 12 IB English, using mediums like photography, sculpture, sewing/embroidering, painting, and photography.

The Cadet Band showcase and Advanced Music performance were both executed brilliantly by talented and experienced Ridley students, featuring the classical and jazz ensembles and the orchestra, which played for the rapt audience. As a backstage helper in the advanced music show, I focused on cueing musicians onstage, and organizing and setting up their spaces downstairs. It was a delightful experience and helped me understand the unseen processes that went into a large event.

Danyi Hu ’25, a trombonist and seasoned musician who performed in the advanced music concert, has offered to share highlights of the performance and provide insight into the rehearsal process and techniques required to perform successfully.

The following is a transcript of the interview with Danyi Hu ’25. It has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

Chloe: How do you approach warming up or practicing before going onstage, and what specific exercises help you feel prepared?

Dan: My warm-ups consist of lip slurs and scales to put myself in the zone to play music mentally, and relax the muscles used for playing physically. Practicing is crucial before performing in front of a concert. I repeatedly play difficult parts of a piece in order to develop familiarity and muscle memory. Not only is it important to spend time practicing alone, but showing up to rehearsals and spending time to be familiar with the band is arguably even more important. Getting to know the styles of a conductor and the parts of the band can elevate your performance even further.

Chloe: Was there a specific technique or skill you had to focus on improving for this particular performance?

Dan: Since I play the trombone, making sure each note is perfectly in tune is difficult. Although there are seven positions, each note tends to fall on a slightly different area on the slide itself. Sometimes it may not be as noticeable, but perfecting these things is what makes a band the best it can be. Things like this exist on every instrument and can advance your abilities even more.

Chloe: Can you describe a moment during the performance that felt particularly memorable or exciting to you?

​​Dan: The most memorable part of any performance to me is the beginning. The excitement of the audience clapping for our band and the short adrenaline high I get is always my favourite part.

Chloe: After the concert, how do you reflect on your performance, and what areas do you focus on for improvement in future performances?

Dan: I make mistakes during the concert like anyone else does, but I never let it push me down. If we have to perform the piece again at another concert, I always focus on the area where I had the most trouble, which usually consists of shorter notes that require fast movement and precise tuning.

Looking ahead to Semester 2, we anticipate a large array of musical performances and art events that will highlight the creativity and talent of the Ridley community. With new opportunities for artistic expression and collaboration, the upcoming events promise to inspire and engage audiences in fresh and dynamic ways.