Small Ensembles 2024

On June 4th, 2024, at Elmont Public Library, all five of North’s musical small ensemble groups gathered to have one last performance. In the past, the annual Valley Stream North High School Small Ensembles Concert mainly featured high school small ensembles such as Mrs. Hayden’s Breakfast Club and Ms. Ansbacher’s Senior High Jazz Band; however, this year, the end-of-year musical event grew to include both Senior High and Junior High Jazz Bands, Treble Choir, Junior High Select Chorus, and the Breakfast Club. The concert was spectacular and showcased the musical talents of North High School students and teachers.  

Firstly, the Junior High Jazz Band started the evening off with four fantastic pieces. Their first piece was C Jam Blues, a relaxing jazz melody featuring several solos. In contrast, their next song, Blue Bossa had a catchy and quick tune, demonstrating the ensemble’s ability to balance different tempos. Additionally, the style of the piece was very jazzy due to the strong saxophone presence, much like their first piece. Their third song, Birdland, was a true testament to the jazz genre as it was named after the first jazz club in New York City. Lastly, they closed their performance with a song featuring harmonies from the famed Pixar movie, The Incredibles. The Junior High Jazz Band’s performance served as evidence of the hard work they have put in this year.  

The second small ensemble to perform was the Junior High Select Chorus. Their first song was Do Wah Diddy Diddy, made famous by Manfred Mann in the 1960s. The younger group was very energetic as there were a few giggles at the beginning of their performance; however, they managed to pull it together by the end and made for a sophisticated presentation. Other pieces included Stand Together and The Lion Sleeps Tonight, demonstrating the chorus’ ability to blend their vocal parts. 

After the Junior High Select Chorus, the Swingin’ Spartans’ Jazz Ensemble entered the stage. The group exemplified the talents of the entire group while highlighting the skills of select dedicated players. Additionally, the group demonstrated their range of capabilities as they shifted tempos from fast in the songs “Conga,” “Route 66”, and “Nothing from Nothing”, to slow in “The Way We Were”. Additionally, the amazing staccato abilities featured in “Nothing from Nothing” made the notes sound very crisp. This contrasts with the ensemble’s legato notes in “The Way We Were.” The Senior High Jazz Band’s performance illustrated their ability to play a vast range of music while maintaining the same musicality and sensitivity for each piece.  

The fifth small ensemble group to perform was the Treble Choir, led by Mr. Thorn. The group accomplished a wide musical range while only including sopranos and altos. Also, the song selection allowed the group to show their ability to perform various tempos and showcase their acapella abilities. The singers demonstrated excellent vocal blending while still highlighting each distinct voice. The group’s last song was a medley of several Aretha Franklin pieces including, Natural Women, I Say a Little Prayer, and Respect. The medley included two beautiful solos by Kayla Duvert and Samantha Salnave. 

For the night's final event, the Breakfast Club, led by Mrs. Hayden, beautifully showed their hours of dedication through their performance. Their first song was a piece that included the classic fiddle tunes, Folk Tune Air, and Fiddler’s Fury. It featured solos by Lillian Dolan and Arshdeep Singh, both senior violinists of the Breakfast Club. Later, once the other string instruments joined in, they blended their sound very well, and the rhythms were truly clear. Throughout all the pieces, the different instruments of the group had a very balanced sound. Afterward, they performed a slower and more mellow song, Don’t Know Why, an instrumental take on the classic Norah Jones tune, featuring Jake Heiss on the drum set and Rebecca Hayden on piano. Finally, for their last piece, they performed Fantasia Espanol, a dramatic and bold piece composed by Soon Hee Newbold. 

The Small Ensembles Concert is traditionally the last concert of the Valley Stream North school year, effectively wrapping up the musical activities of the 2023-2024 school year in a beautiful bow that exhibits the talents of musicians who attend rehearsals outside of their music education classes. This year was certainly no exception!