An “Untimely” Concert

Last month, Crescenta Valley High School’s music department had its spring concert. Typically, these types of events are held on Friday evenings. However, on this occasion, the concert was held on a Wednesday, right in the middle of a school week.

Although the school may have had legitimate intentions for a Wednesday showcase, the students thought much differently. Many were very unhappy with a mandatory concert on a school day. Many had tests the following day, and because of the concert, they were unable to study as effectively as they could have. Others had stacks of homework to complete, and were up late at night after attending the concert, trying to get their work done. Overall, it was very clear that the many of the music students were very unhappy.

Many of the parents were also irked. One mom complained, saying, “Many parents that work will not even be able to show up. Who would go to a high school concert when we have work? It is ridiculous.” Behind every parent was the conundrum of leaving work and showing support for their children or stay at work and be seen as an unsupportive parent. Students were also disheartened when their parents could not attend the concert due to their work schedule.

On the day of the concert, a student described the auditorium as “half-empty”, implying that not many parents were willing or able to attend their child’s concert. At one point, even the music director had some regret of placing the concert on a school night when he stated,”I understand that it is a school night…and I feel a little bit bad, but I hope they understand.”

On the upside, there were a handful of students that did not seem to mind the timing of the concert. These students were mainly those that are looking to become professional musicians in the near future. Ian Camner, a junior saxophone player, stated, “Regardless of what day the concert is on, I love playing so I don’t really mind at all.” For these students, performing is their priority, so the concert came first.

This response was common among the more dedicated musicians. Camner goes on to say, “If this is what I want to do as a profession, I ought to get used to sacrificing some things for what I love to do.”

Despite the complaints, the Spring Concert was still very successful and the student musicians displayed their great ability.  For those who did attend, it was a great display of talent at Crescenta Valley High School.  And, thanks to the complaints and disappointment, holding the Spring Concert on a weeknight will most likely not be considered for next year.