Music at the Movies Night One: How did it go?

Background Context

If you do not already know, I am in the Oak Park Music Program, working in student leadership as the IMC (Student Band Leadership) President. This means I must attend all of the performances put on by the OPM Program. So, I came to help at the first night of Music at the Movies, where the Concert Band and Wind Symphony were performing.

Music at the Movies is a different type of concert the OPM Program puts on. The following differences sets it apart from other concerts:

  • It is the only one where entry is charged. 20$ for adults, 5$ for students (with school ID).
  • Only tunes from Movies/Media are played.
  • A screen behind the performers playing video from said media.
  • Headphones used to keep time with the onscreen video.

My Night

I stayed at the school until it was the call time for the emcees. The first issue of the night arrived; it was the first time for the emcees. Meaning, that the emcee doc (of what the announcements are) is out of date, and the emcees need a debriefing and a copy of the programs for the night.
I took the emcees aside and explained what all of the announcements were for the night. SOCO, MatM Night 2, Concessions, donations. I made a new document are worked with AV/Tech to get that updated version on screen for them in case they forget.
I ran over to the Pavilion (where the performances are held, and the concessions) and asked the parent volunteers (who are in charge of OPIMA and our funds) if there was anything they’d like to promote. They said to direct viewers to the parent volunteer link on the website. I added this to the emcee doc, and let the emcees know. I grabbed them their programs, and we were live. The two emcees of that night were Ava Winkle and Gal Yelinek, two choir students. You could tell they were a little nervous, but they did wonderfully and I couldn’t be more proud. "Picture with Emcee"
Here is the picture I got with Ava Winkle, the emcee.

All of a sudden, Mr. Borquez (Music Director) appeared and asked Ava Winkle to come sing the Star Spangled Banner. This was not planned, and I jumped in as emcee for a few minutes. I wasn’t the smoothest, but I was ready. I think with more practice perhaps I could get the hang of improv and livestreaming, but for now, I will stick to videos. "Thumbnail of livestream"
Click on the image to see Livestream.

The rest of the night was much less eventful. I was filling in for the historians as I got pictures of the performances. (Historians is a group in student leadership that goes to OPM events and takes pictures. Typically, we want two historians, but one had a family event last minute.)

The Performances

I genuinely enjoyed many of the songs and performances. I can feel the love, time, and effort that the Concert Band and Wind Symphony put on. My favorites would be Arabian Nights and the La La Land Medley. Arabian Nights had varying dynamics, making it an interesting listen.

A Reflection

Outside of all of the running around, it was a regular concert. At some point, the camera got knocked down, but AV/Tech handled it swiftly so I’m happy for them. I’m fortunate to have had the privilege to attend. The ride home was a little dark, and my first time driving past sundown, but as I said, I am content.

Thank you for reading!