Instead of lacing up their tap shoes and adding an extra touch of stage makeup, the band and orchestra students tuned up their instruments. Students performed a variety of selections from Broadway musicals on Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. for their annual Pops and Pastries Concert.

Junior LaSean Patton received first chair in the violin section this year, meaning she is the concertmaster of the orchestra. Patton is enthusiastic about the theme this year. She hopes her love for all the pieces brings happiness to the whole community.

“I am really excited for the concert, I like the music theme that we have this year, it’s Broadway and I think it’s just really fun,” Patton said. “It’s just fun getting to play with the band because the orchestra doesn’t play with the band that often.”

Senior Chloe Bigwood, who plays the clarinet, received the opportunity to perform two solos during the concert.

“I’m excited to play it in (the concert) because I have two solos and for one of the songs I start out the piece all by myself so that’s gonna be kind of scary but fun at the same time,” Bigwood said.

Trumpet player, junior Thomas Mowen has noticed that a significant amount of effort was put into the concert and hopes the audience appreciated all the work the students have put into the music.

“We all practice in class everyday,” Mowen said. “We’ll occasionally have a sectional where just our instrument will get together and practice our part and then we practice on our own and then Friday (Nov. 13) (we had) a dress rehearsal in the gym.”

The Pops and Pastries concert is unlike any other concert the band and orchestra perform. The concert features different themes each year and provides beautiful music served alongside pastries that volunteers provide.

Director of Instrumental Music David Cleveland makes sure there is a change in the concert each year. Throughout the years the concert has been running, he has seen many changes, but each change only improved the performance.

“It’s just gotten bigger and better, every year we do something to tweak it, whether it be adding more pastries or decorations or something,” Cleveland said. “We always do just something a little bit better. It’s gotten to be quite an extravaganza.”

Unlike other concerts such as the Band-O-Rama or String Extravaganza, this concert showcases a less formal view of the orchestra and band. Bigwood believes this concert is for any person that has an affinity for Broadway music.

“I think (the concert is) for anybody who enjoys music because we play a lot of songs that I think people would recognize from childhood movies or just anyone who likes Broadway music, just famous music would enjoy the concert,” Bigwood said.

Cleveland thinks the Pops and Pastries Concert connects the young with the old because of the diversity of content.

“At this concert unlike Orchestra Hall or pre-festival concerts, we’re looking to get as many of the general public community as possible,” Cleveland said. “We try to include music for the older people as well as the young people, we’re trying to get kids, we’re really trying to get families and everyone in the community to be there.”

The concert featured music from a variety of Broadway musicals. The orchestra played music from Wicked, West Side Story and a medley of songs called Curtains Up, while the chamber group, which is made up of advanced orchestra members, played music from Jersey Boys. Concert band showcased tunes from Music Man, My Fair Lady and Les Miserables. The symphony band presented a Gershwin medley, Mary Poppins and an arrangement of Fiddler on the Roof.

Even though the tunes are familiar, it isn’t as easy as it sounds. Cleveland believes the music will require students to practice more, hence the weeks of practicing in advance to accustom the students for what was to come.

“(The music is) very challenging, it really pushes the extremes of the ranges of the instruments and it’s technically very demanding, lots of very tricky rhythms, it’s really starting the year with difficult music,” Cleveland said. “Usually if we put the bar high at the beginning of the year then it sort of sets the tone for the rest of the year and lets the students know what we expect from them.”

Patton has found benefits to starting out will a challenging pieces: she believes this strategy will help both the orchestra and band in the future.

“I think in the long run it definitely helps just because we get acclimated to doing tough pieces so when we get presented with a new tough piece we’re like, ‘oh this isn’t too bad, we’ve done stuff like that,’” Patton said. “It might be hard at first but over time it gets easier.”

Cleveland anticipated a great evening with many smiles and of course pastries, around 200 platters full of them.

“I hope the (students) play their best on every piece and the audience loves their performance,” Cleveland said. “It’s just a fun night, it’s very relaxing, it’s beautiful music — easy to listen to.”