The halls at Riverview Collegiate were rockin’ before the Christmas break as the school’s rock band put on a show that displayed everything they had learned during the fall semester.
More than 60 people packed into the school’s gym on Dec. 19 to listen to the 13 students in the Rock Band program jam out to rock songs, with a little bit of country and disco thrown in for good measure. A paper flying saucer was taped to the gym wall behind the band — dubbed The Wi3Rd$ — with a multi-coloured wave of light beaming down to the ground.
“We’re trying to keep rock and rock alive. We’re in an era where everyone listens to rap and hip hop and other things,” said teacher James Irving, who leads the Rock Band program. The students have seen the value of rock music and wanted to give the audience a chance to experience the value of it as well.
The Rock Band program is composed of students in grades 10 to 12. Every year students in the program put on a Christmas show and then another show at the end of April. The December performance was a “hard-rocking show” that featured a mix of rock genres from the 1960s to the present day. The musicians performed songs ranging from Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees to Monster by Shinedown.
No Christmas carols were sung, but some of the songs did have a Christmas influence to them.
It was a fun and energetic show that allowed students to showcase what they had learned since September, said Irving. Some students came into the program with some musical talent, while others didn’t have much. The performance allowed them to demonstrate how well they had progressed; some youths even let loose during individual solos.
“I’m always excited for (it),” he continued. “I’m a lover of music. I have been involved with it all my life. I love things like this, especially when you get to see students (improve so much).”
Once the show was finished, students and the audience were able to enjoy some desserts and refreshments.
