Coppell High School Band performed its annual Midwinter Concert on Feb. 10 in the CHS Auditorium. The concert featured performances from multiple ensembles, each presenting a selection of pieces in preparation for upcoming competitions and assessments.

For students, the performance was the culmination of weeks of preparation. Junior percussionist Anvi Bhaskar described the challenges of staying in time with the full band.

 “The most challenging part for preparing for the performance for me was staying in time with a whole band and making sure I’m just connecting my music with them,” Bhaskar said.

Beyond the technical difficulties, students also found enjoyment in their repertoire.

“My favorite piece is ‘Diamond Tide’ because it involves super cool sounds that incorporate with the band,” Bhaskar said.

Junior oboist Akshara Pillai reflected on the effort put into refining each piece. “Just the detailing and then the hours spent into it” was the most difficult part of preparation, she said.

Associate band director Riaz Mohammed highlighted the process of selecting music for students, emphasizing the importance of both strengths and growth opportunities. 

“We tend to pick literature that’s a little bit out of their comfort zone to grow them into it,” Mohammed said. 

He noted that this semester’s biggest challenge was adjusting to new personnel. 

“With this particular group, we have a lot of new kids,” Mohammed said. “So learning some of their strengths and weaknesses along the process of the fall and trying to assess picking literature for the spring semester was key.” 

Reflecting on the performance, Mohammed pointed to a standout moment.

“Actually, it was one of our UIL pieces. I thought they played really well. It was the longest piece on the program, and it’s something that we’re working on for the next couple months.” he said. “So the progress that they’ve made in this first month alone has been really great.” 

With the concert cycle now complete, the band will begin preparing for their next performance in April.

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