For many Etowah Eagles, the holiday season is an exciting time, and Etowah’s band joined in on the fun with its annual winter holiday concert on Dec. 13 in the E.T. Booth gym. 

“I think it went really well; the eighth graders were able to join us, and each group stepped up with their music difficulty,” Stephen Long, band director, said. 

This year, the mastery band continued its tradition of performing “Sleigh Ride.”  

“I feel like it’s a great tradition that I’m really going to miss; this is only my second year in Mastery Band, but it still holds a pretty special place in my heart,” Warren Helms, senior, said. 

Etowah’s band has been working diligently since November to prepare for the concert. Shortly after its Veteran’s Day performance, members started perfecting their Christmas pieces. 

“We put in a lot of practice and effort but we just didn’t pull of another fantastic performance. Hopefully next time we will have the outcome we want,” Kylie Geist, junior, said. 

This is the second year where both the high school and middle school winter band performances were at the same time. 

“Seeing the eighth graders perform last night brought so many memories from when I was first learning to play and finding a passion for music. They played beautifully, and the trumpet soloist got me hyped. I am very excited for them to join us next year,” Sophia Stewart, sophomore, said. 

Congratulations to the band for a successful concert, and thank you to everyone who came out to ring in the holiday season with Etowah’s annual performance.