On Wednesday December 10, The Shawnee Mission Northwest Symphonic Band invited friends, family, and fellow musicians to attend their 2014 Winter Concert. The air in Greg Parker Auditorium was electric with lively melodic sound as the young musicians showed off their talent. The band played an arrangement of Festivo, by Edward Gregson and Timothy Reynish; The Purple Carnival, by Harry L. Alford and Frank Erickson; and The Polar Express, by Alan Silverstri and Glen Ballard.

After the symphonic band exited the stage, Midwest Winds, a volunteer wind ensemble, took the stage to perform for the symphonic band as well as the audience. The ensemble is made up of members of the Johnson County community and exists entirely from donations. Notable members of the ensemble include band director Penny Snead and associate principal Tom Moss.

Senior Claudia Becker, a clarinet player in the symphonic band, summarized the night, saying, “We listened to, not a professional band, but a higher based band, and then we got to perform for them and parents and friends. We’ve been practicing for a while so I think we did really well, it was nice to finally play in front of an audience”.