The Greenhill band held its annual Pops Concert on Oct. 20, featuring performances from Middle and Upper School musicians. The event showcased well-known songs rather than the more traditional pieces typically performed at band concerts.

This year’s Upper School setlist followed a numbers theme, with songs including “25 or 6 to 4” by Chicago, “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton, and “76 Trombones”.

Middle and Upper School Band Director Brian Donnell said the theme developed through the selection of several pieces.

“I had a march that I wanted to do, ‘Mil Estrellas’, that translates to 1,000 stars, and then we were already doing ‘25 or 6 to 4’ by Chicago,” Donnell said. “We did ‘9 to 5,’ and since all three of those had numbers and we needed another song, I added another march called ‘76 Trombones.’”

The Middle School band performed pieces selected to match the students’ abilities.

“The seventh and eighth grade band did three pieces that were all just fun jazz band pop songs that fit the instrumentation,” Donnell said. “We picked those pieces based on the students that we had.”

The concert also served as an early opportunity for students and directors to assess the band’s progress throughout the year, according to Assistant Band Director Tony Lopez.

“It’s just always a good starting point for the year,” Lopez said. “Let them know kind of where they’re standing to start out, and potentially how they may need to work more and how they need to work for the rest of the year.”

Performing alongside Middle School musicians, the concert gave Upper School students an opportunity to collaborate with younger band members and adjust to different playing styles.

“It was nice that our sounds blended together, and I think it was hopefully a good experience for the Middle Schoolers to play with the Upper Schoolers,” sophomore Kevin Kim said.

Playing with another group required musicians to listen closely and adjust their performances to match one another, according to Kim.

“When you’re playing with a different group, you have to know how they sound so you can adjust and you kind of have to get used to how they sound,” Kim said.

Upper School students also took on a mentorship role, helping younger musicians develop their playing skills and pay attention to smaller musical details, according to freshman Spencer Hudson.

“I hope they learn that they can just be better musicians by focusing on smaller details of music,” Hudson said.

Following the Pops Concert, the band has begun preparing for its winter concert, which features a different style of music and allows for more rehearsal time.

“The winter concert, we pick a little more serious music,” Lopez said. “A little heavier.”

As students continue developing their musicianship throughout the year, the Pops Concert offered an opportunity to showcase familiar music while building connections between younger and older musicians, according to Donnell.

“The students always enjoy seeing their classmates there,” Donnell said.