North High holds annual Christmas concert
Hundreds of parents and friends gathered in the courtyard at North Fort Myers High School Friday night as the North Fort Myers High School music department presented its annual Christmas concert.
The event was scaled back this year and the catered dinner was replaced with hot cocoa and cookies which allowed more people to come and enjoy.
And it was the music people came for and the students did a great job from beginning to end.
“It’s a great time to open the gates and let people come and see what the kids have been doing,” said Sarah Johnson-Scalise, music director at the school. “We have a new program for the steel drums, three jazz bands will be playing, a concert band, we try to make this an experience with hot drinks and dessert and music.”
It was the steel drum corps that welcomed guests to the sound of “Limbo Rock” and holiday classics. The program was added after COVID as the world slowly opened back up.
“We didn’t have a performance opportunity for them for a long time because of COVID. A lot of middle schools in the county do this (especially the North Fort Myer Academy for the Arts) and we decided to add it to our school,” Johnson-Scalese said. “It was an opportunity for kids to come and continue that tradition. It’s a very popular genre.”
North continues to grow a great music tradition. Its marching band finished seventh in the state, its best finish ever.
Josh Lee, a senior who plays the saxophone and clarinet, said this is one of the most fun events of the year.
“We have two big concerts every year and this is one of them. This event gives us an excuse to do band stuff and holiday stuff,” Lee said. “It’s been a crazy four years, but it’s made our class better. We’ve been through a lot.”
Of course, the parents had a blast.
Kelly Matos has two daughters, Joelle, who is in percussion and Kelsey, who plays the trombone. They all just moved to the area in April from Pennsylvania and love it here.
“We had no family in Pennsylvania and my brother is here and we’re from Puerto Rico, which puts us closer to the island,” Matos said. “The concept is very different here and I love it very much. It’s open, everyone has gathered and it feels like a family.”
Music Director Sarah Johnson-Scalisi conducts the jazz band during the annual North Fort Myers High School Christmas Concert in the courtyard Friday.