The Michigan City community gathered together on December 12 to listen to and support the incredible musical talent being generated within Michigan City Area Schools (MCAS) during the free annual “One City, One Sound” concert. The concert saw performances from over 1,000 MCAS students across all grade levels take place in the Michigan City High School (MCHS) gymnasium.
“A big performance like this allows the kids to see what the future holds for them,” MCHS Band Director Frank Gast said. “It really gets them motivated. Plus, we have a lot of parents with a lot of kids in different grades and schools, so giving one giant holiday concert that they can watch in person or stream on YouTube means a lot. It’s a good way to connect with the community, promote the arts, and leave everyone in a good mood.”
The concert included both choral and orchestral performances featuring holiday classics and modern hits for the audience to enjoy. Gast and MCHS Choral Director Michelle Howisen begin selecting music at the beginning of every year to match the ability level of each performing group.
“We actually start planning the music for this in January or February of the school year before,” Howisen said. “We always close with a huge group piece that everybody can do together, so after we get back from Christmas Break, Frank and I meet and start discussing what we think would work for everybody next year as our big group number.”
Organizing a thousand performers is no small task. The meetings between Gast and Howisen don’t stop until the performance is over, and they expand to include music teachers across all of the performing schools, maintenance and IT techs who will support the concert, and anyone else who has a hand in making “One City, One Sound” come to life.
The end result of all that planning was tonight’s packed gym filled with parents and fans from across the Michigan City area.
“The gym is absolutely filled, and I know we always get hundreds of views on YouTube,” Gast said. “There’s always at least 1,000 people in the crowd at the school.”
In an effort to turn the holiday cheer into actionable service, Howisen and Gast have forgone collecting an admission fee for the concert, opting instead to pass the goodwill along.
“We also have the Salvation Army at the concert,” Howiesen said. “Instead of asking for a monetary donation for our music programs, we try to give back to the community. We ask that all of our audience members bring a canned good or a small monetary donation to give to the Salvation Army. That way, we’re giving back to the community with this concert.”
As “One City, One Sound” concluded with its all-performers final number, it was clear that Gast, Howiesen, and all of the music instructors involved were both proud of their students and already planning for next year.
“I like seeing all the different levels perform at the same time,” Howiesen said. “I like seeing the elementary and them being really cute. You move up to middle school, and they're a little bit more advanced, and then the middle schoolers get to see the high school kids. They see where they can go, and how amazing they can be. We had a really good performance.”
The 2024 “One City, One Sound” concert is available for streaming on YouTube for everyone hoping to relive all the magical moments.