Skyline High School would not be the same without the repeated sound of All I Want for Christmas is You playing throughout the halls in the wintertime. Whether people are writing silly letters to friends or receiving a bombardment of music, winter serenades bring the holiday spirit to students and staff on the dayriday before winter break. While most of Skyline only see one day of performance, over a week of preparation goes behind making this holiday staple possible. 

Before any practicing can begin, Orchestra Council must first decide on the music selection. This year, Skyline students had ten songs to choose from, ranging from Love Story to Rudolph.

“We try to do some more popular songs… [and] usually keep some of our classics,” says Orchestra Council Secretary Yufei Fu (‘25). “We try to find something free online, and we have somebody transpose all the parts…. One week we had to reorganize all the music in the serenade books and add the table of contents.”

Once the music is chosen and organized, orchestra members choose their groups and have a week to learn all the new music. 

“We usually have four full hours in class of just straight rehearsal with our group, and if you have multiple groups, you’re gonna have to put in some extra work because you need to learn different parts,” says Hannah Wen (‘27), a violist. “I signed up for two other hours other than my orchestra hour…. They’re all with different people so I had to rehearse with them separately, which took extra effort.”

With hundreds of serenades to perform and only three orchestra hours, students are encouraged to sign up for additional hours so that all the music can be played. Others help out by selling winter serenades during lunch. The money made goes towards covering orchestra-related expenses, such as music camp scholarships, supplies, and special projects. 

“We try to get the word out as much as possible… and sell them at lunch,” says Kaiwen Smith (‘25), Orchestra Council president. “We make sure that sales are successful… and make sure that everyone selling knows what they’re supposed to do…. [We] are also trying to streamline it so that it’s easier than it was in previous years.”

After selling the serenades, the orchestra director Andrea Murray must coordinate performances to ensure that all serenades are performed efficiently on the final day.

“The teachers are sent a google form that they can fill out if they wish for their class not to be interrupted,” says Murray. “When I schedule the serenades I make sure not to schedule any for those teachers during those hours.”

Note: Grace Yao is a member of the Skyline Orchestra