Spreading Holiday Cheer Through Music

The holiday season comes alive in Ridgewood not only through decorations and festive events, but also through the music of student performers. Two groups, the Jingle Strings orchestra and the Downtown for the Holidays marching band, recently brought seasonal cheer to the community in unique ways.

For the marching band, preparation started just days before the event. “We started preparing the Monday before the event, so we had to pull everything together pretty quickly,” band member Cailin Corcoran recalled. “The freezing weather made every rehearsal feel twice as hard. Playing outside when you can barely feel your fingers makes tuning, tone, and coordination a lot tougher than usual.” Balancing marching and playing required “muscle memory, listening, and just trusting that everyone around you was doing the same thing.”

Despite the challenges, the performance proved rewarding. “The downtown atmosphere felt really alive. Lights everywhere, people bundled up, and the whole place buzzing with energy,” the student said. “Seeing families along the sidewalks made the performance feel personal and worth the effort.” There were even a few funny moments along the parade route, like pedestrians trying to march along or slips on the cold pavement, all taken in stride. “I was proud when we hit our first clean musical moment despite the temperature,” she said. For the band, Downtown for the Holidays is more than a performance, it’s a way to connect with the community and bring holiday spirit to life.

Meanwhile, members of Jingle Strings approached their holiday performance in a more relaxed, intimate setting. The quartet met weekly after school, or during lunch if schedules conflicted, to practice festive favorites like Jingle Bell Rock. “It wasn’t very hard music, but because Christmas music is so melody dependent, if someone was missing, it was hard to practice that spot,” orchestra member Daniel Bae explained. With melodies passed between different instruments, collaboration was key.

What made the experience stand out was the fun, lighthearted nature of the music. “There’s no conductor, so we just worked together, and it being not so serious made it more fun,” he said. “The point of us going there was to raise spirits, so I hope that happened.” Performing Christmas music in a small group setting created a sense of connection among the musicians. “Performing with my group makes me feel more connected to my members because we were all working together on something we volunteered to do,” the student reflected.

Both groups found the experience rewarding in different ways. For the marching band, it was about overcoming challenges and energizing the community; for the orchestra, it was about collaboration, joy, and sharing music in a relaxed and cheerful environment. In the end, both reminded the audience, and themselves, that music has a unique power to lift spirits and bring people together during the holiday season.