With the holiday season quickly approaching, seniors Logan Miller (guitar), Alex Faupel (bass guitar), Matt Steins (piano), Nick Book (saxophone), Elliot Russo (saxophone), Jimmy Nash (trumpet) and Ryan Lakeman (drums) decided to get together to entertain the arriving students through the school’s main entrance with various jazz songs.

“Dr. Arnel actually asked us to play, which I thought was cool of him to try to make the school have a better environment on the mornings before finals,” said Miller.

Once the seniors had gotten everything organized with Principal Sonny Arnel, the ensemble began playing on Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2010 and continued to play on the following Wednesdays until winter break.

The group has played together before as a part of the school’s jazz band as well as separately as its own ensemble. While the members never officially decided on a name for their combo group, they enjoy playing for fun after school in the band room and at local venues or weddings.

“The songs we played were some that we had already worked on for upcoming competitions / other performances. The week before, we played for the administrative holiday party at the main building,” said Lakeman.

Many of the students found the music to improve the overall attitude of the students coming into school.

“Even if most students don’t admit that they liked the music that the combo group played, it’s definitely a fact that they would prefer the music than a silent hallway before they study. Music does help the brain to study,” said senior Sue Redican, the group’s self-acclaimed number one fan.

While this mix of seniors does not plan on playing anymore, some underclassmen band members have expressed interest in following in their footsteps and playing during the holiday season next year.