The music industry center had its first Hall Pass Music event on May 15. The event was held in the Salter Theater and brought together student musicians from middle school to senior year to perform original music they created throughout the year.
Before the showcase officially started the theatre was filled with sound checks, flashing stage lights, nervous excitement and students making final adjustments to their instruments and equipment
Audio Production teacher Alex Breitman, said the showcase was meant to “show our family, friends and community, the amazing music that we make in class.”
Breitman wishes the students will take from the experience “the joy of performing… just to be able to play in an environment that’s like a vibe.”
The Salter Theater created an atmosphere with strong acoustics that allowed every detail of the music to fill the room while the dark lighting, colorful stage lights, and loud sound system gave the event the feeling of a live music concert, rather than a school performance.
One of the students performing was senior Jake Rubel, who described his piece as an alternative rock and metal inspired composition originally created with his band “Back in Autumn.”
Rubel explained the song he performed is “the first song we really wrote together as a band.”
For the showcase, Rubel adapted the piece into a live solo performance. He said, “Instead of plugging my guitar into my computer, I am using a digital amp modeler as a pedal.”
Other students explored completely different styles of music. Sophomore Sterling Fredrickson said his electronic piece was inspired by the video game Hotline Miami soundtrack. He said, “It’s sort of pulsing the entire time.” and had “a very nice feel to it throughout the whole song.”
Senior Nathan Horowitz described his own piece as “an instrumental composition.”
Horowitz added “ I mostly took inspiration from folk music like Simon and Garfunkel like reference Alison Krauss, and Union Station.”
Meanwhile, junior Andrew Yang explained that his piece idea came from “bringing and sharing ideas with friends.”
Yang said the song is “a rough draft of a specific song we made while hanging out.”
As the schools first Hall Pass Music showcase came to an end, the performance marked an important moment for the music industry center. With students from all grades presenting original music in a live theater setting, the event created a new opportunity for young musicians to share their work with classmates, families and the school community.
