DMAE held its 13th annual Winter Concert in Dizzy Gillespie Auditorium on Wednesday, December 17, 2014. A small crowd attended the event and left with heart and spirits uplifted.

“To be honest, I loved it! I went with my family and couldn’t have had a better time,” said a freshman brightly. “It was awesome, with beautiful voices everywhere and beautiful instruments harmonizing.”

The concert featured the school chorus, the vocal ensemble, the jazz band, and the string ensemble. In total, 15 songs were performed. According to teacher Sandra Meltzer, a big crowd is not necessary for an event like this to be successful.

“I thought it was fabulous. I came away feeling like it was our best concert ever,” Ms. Meltzer said.

Ms. Meltzer concentrated on the music and on helping students enjoy performing. Some students were nervous and Ms. Meltzer did what she always does: she gave them a big smile and give them thumbs up, something the audience could not see.

“Coming up on stage, I felt nervous. Tension build up in my stomach,” chorus member Ginell Vazquez said, “but when I was actually on stage, I felt strong and ready to perform because I knew I wasn’t the only one and I am doing it to make people happy.”

Even for the most worried students, Ms. Meltzer offered assurance that they would be the stars of the night. According to Ginell, Ms. Meltzer taught them to use the “peas and carrots” lip sync if something went wrong. The performers use this strategy when they forget the words and just open their mouths, without sounds coming out. Actually, this trick helped Ginell out with her own fright.

“I think I did a good job, considering that I sang the right notes. The concert overall was amazing,” Ginell added.

Ms. Meltzer and the DMAE music students will hold a Spring Concert May 20, 2015, and invite all to attend.