Groton Pops
There was no better way to spend the first Saturday night back at Groton than watching the Groton Pops concert.
Many of my friends were performing, and it was a great way to sit and relax before gearing up for school the next week. It was also a very festive event: all the performers were sporting their best Christmas sweaters and Santa hats.
The orchestra's performance of “Sleigh Ride” was fun to watch while the percussionist, William Laws ‘25, jumped in the air to make the iconic slap! during the song. Jazz band performed next, which had everyone clapping and swaying. Later, the Maquppelas a cappella group performed “Silent Night” beautifully.
Toward the end of the night, the concert had been going on for a long time and people began to filter out of the Forum. The music slowed, and there were very few pockets of people left listening to the music. This was my favorite moment of the day, it felt so peaceful to just sit and enjoy the time I was spending with my friends. I stopped to notice that the Forum was decorated with Christmas lights and the low voices of the people talking above me. As the saxophone played on, I realized how happy I was to be able to live in the moment and appreciate a great Groton tradition.
This continued and it felt like time was standing still. I didn’t want it to change because I feel like so often we forget to slow down our lives and simply just live. During a stressful exam week before break, I was always on edge and worrying about the next moment. Spending those few hours at Groton Pops helped me finally let go of the worries I had carried with me from the last term. It was in that moment, when the music was quiet and melancholy and the Forum was nearly empty, that I truly turned a new leaf for winter term.
Then the last song was announced: "Feliz Navidad!" We all got up from our lazy positions and began to dance and shout the lyrics from the top of our lungs. It was a beautiful moment and it made me especially glad that I had stayed. Nothing could have made that night more perfect. After the concert was over, we took photos in the photo booth, hung out, and before we knew it it was time to go back to the dorm.
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The orchestra's performance of “Sleigh Ride” was fun to watch while the percussionist, William Laws ‘25, jumped in the air to make the iconic slap! during the song. Jazz band performed next, which had everyone clapping and swaying. Later, the Maquppelas a cappella group performed “Silent Night” beautifully.
Toward the end of the night, the concert had been going on for a long time and people began to filter out of the Forum. The music slowed, and there were very few pockets of people left listening to the music. This was my favorite moment of the day, it felt so peaceful to just sit and enjoy the time I was spending with my friends. I stopped to notice that the Forum was decorated with Christmas lights and the low voices of the people talking above me. As the saxophone played on, I realized how happy I was to be able to live in the moment and appreciate a great Groton tradition.
This continued and it felt like time was standing still. I didn’t want it to change because I feel like so often we forget to slow down our lives and simply just live. During a stressful exam week before break, I was always on edge and worrying about the next moment. Spending those few hours at Groton Pops helped me finally let go of the worries I had carried with me from the last term. It was in that moment, when the music was quiet and melancholy and the Forum was nearly empty, that I truly turned a new leaf for winter term.
Then the last song was announced: "Feliz Navidad!" We all got up from our lazy positions and began to dance and shout the lyrics from the top of our lungs. It was a beautiful moment and it made me especially glad that I had stayed. Nothing could have made that night more perfect. After the concert was over, we took photos in the photo booth, hung out, and before we knew it it was time to go back to the dorm.
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