Once every December, members of the Band, Orchestra, and Chorus file into the auditorium, awaiting their sacred annual tradition. Students scurry around, placing jackets and backpacks around the room to reserve rows for their friends. The teachers zip through seats, quietly taking attendance. The atmosphere is electric – hundreds of students are shifting in their seats, buzzing with pre-Holiday-Break excitement. The sound gradually dies down. The projector turns on, with a familiar chant in the background. This is the moment they have been waiting for. The crowd erupts in cheers and applause, admiring the word plastered on the screen: Frozen.
The Nanuet Music Department carries a beloved tradition of hosting a Frozen Singalong the day before Holiday Break. Thoroughly enjoyed by students and teachers alike, this day is a quintessential part of musicianship and community at the high school. Belting to songs like “Do You Wanna Build a Snowman,” and “Let it Go” are not only staples of the Nanuet Music experience, but of the Holiday magic itself.
Orchestra teachers Ms. Nurkit Lucksom and Ms. Melanie Sadoff shared their appreciation for the tradition, especially how it serves as a unifying force among the Music Department.
“I hate the competitive nature between ensembles,” said Ms. Lucksom. “At the end of the day we’re all making music in the same department, so it’s really nice to come together like this.”
The co-teachers shared their love for all things Frozen, and shared plans to sing along just as passionately as the students.
“We just have fun,” said Ms. Lucksom. “My favorite part is when Hans gets taken out. Him and his stupid sideburns.”
It is the audience’s quirks, however, that make the Frozen Singalong special to Nanuet’s musicians, according to Ms. Sadoff.
“One of my favorite things is when the parents die, people now applaud,” said Ms. Sadoff. “It’s a telling statement about what people think is funny, and they have a very dark humor.”
Although cheering for the death of Arendelle’s monarchs may seem grim, it’s simply part of the musicians’ humor. This tradition has gotten stronger each year, and Ms. Sadoff has had a front row seat to its development throughout her years at the Music Department.
Despite the fact that the tradition repeats each year, students always only get to view the first half of the film with the 55 minute period cutting it short. The mysterious “second half” of Frozen has become an inside joke for orchestra musicians, according to Ms. Sadoff.
All is uncovered in Dr. Skaba’s AP Music Theory course, with its own underground tradition of watching the elusive “second half.” Ms. Sadoff and Ms. Lucksom joke that the rest of the movie can only be revealed to those brave enough to face AP Music Theory.
“Eventually, we get to see the second half,” added Ms. Sadoff. “In theory.”