As the music department heats up their first of many concerts outside of the football field, the pieces of the yearly PRISM Concert begin to come together. Students looking to participate in the show as separate acts are cranking the dial up to ten in order to be a part of the performance. Numerous students look forward to the fun acts and show-like style of the concert, but it takes time for the players and singers behind the curtain to create such an experience. For performers like Matt Parisi, PRISM is not only an individual way to play music but also participate with friends.
“For my groups, we are having a lot of practices throughout the week to make sure we can all play together,” sophomore Parisi said. “Once we get the music, we learn it by ourselves and come together to practice.”
Unlike other performances, PRISM stands alone as an interesting experience for both performer and perceiver. Designed to bridge the gap between talent show and concert, PRISM is a two-slot performance, where any student can audition to have either one or multiple parts. With the addition of a second slot, there is another performance for a later audience to view. While some people prefer to sing in groups, and others get down with rhythms of a quartet, some students, such as junior Gabe Dygd, look forward to more individual performances.
“I have not done a PRISM concert as of yet, but I did participate in the Coffee House Concert last April which is a very similar concert,” Dygd said. “I performed Nothing Else Matters by Metallica acoustically with a friend of mine as a duet. I think overall my favorite part was the performance, it was such a special moment and a highlight of my sophomore year.”
Although some classes, such as Jazz Ensemble and Orchestra make this concert a key part of their curriculum, adding pieces to the shows for playing credit, for many students, there is a competitive sensation around the event. With tryouts not only creating a necessity to perform in order to have a fighting chance, your group must also have the potential to knock out other groups.
“For about the last month I’ve been asked to play for three PRISM groups and I planned on doing a group of my own,” Dygd said. “For all four of these groups that I’m in I took a lot of time on my own to practice the parts and familiarize myself with them and then we’d have practices as a group after school.”
Over the tryout period, which is extended from Oct. 1 to Oct. 3, groups attempt to prove themselves while keeping up with others. However, the practice required for these attempts ventures far beyond the tryout period. With the show fast approaching on Oct. 26, even after their auditions come to a close, groups will still be preparing for the long day ahead. Whether it be by sharpening their skills or crafting the perfect outfit, there is much to be done in order for the concert to go smoothly.
“Performing in a PRISM concert is unlike a lot of other music events that take place at the school,” Dygd said. “As a performer you’re choosing the song, the music, the instrumentations and you really have to put in the effort to make not only an audition worthy piece but also a performance worthy piece. But overall I think it’s a great experience as a musician and as a performer that really gets you out of the comfort zone of an ensemble and just lets you play.”
