High School Music Collaborative (HSMC) showcased their talents in the Youth Music Festival at the Firehouse Arts Center on Nov. 30th. The show encompassed a variety of songs, ranging from classic Christmas numbers to trending pop songs.
Behind the Scenes
Primarily led by high schoolers, the High School Music Collaborative revolves around singing and exploring different genres of music, as well as different instruments. They put on many different events that include the Music Festival and the upcoming HSMC Cabaret.
“HSMC is a high school lead band where every week, we meet on Wednesdays. It’s a lot of fun because there is lots of creative freedom. It also shows people that even though we’re young, high schoolers are more capable than people think we are. We’re also a lot more responsible because if we weren’t, we wouldn’t have gotten this far at all,” said performer Rosey Selinger.
On the Stage
The welcoming mood of the stage allows the high schoolers to let their inner selves shine. HSMC brings students out of their comfort zone and pushes them to do things they wouldn’t have done before. It takes a lot of bravery to perform in front of family members and friends. The cast members achieve even more confidence by being together and supporting each other.
“I know a lot of people on stage. And I know not all of them are the most confident people. And I could see them shine when they got into a comfortable space that they felt accepted in,” said audience member Robin Fried (‘25).
Community Connections
In addition to giving high schoolers the space to become confident performers, events like the Holiday Youth Music Festival serve a multitude of purposes. Not only do they enrich each high school participants as artists through different dimensions, but they also enrich the community of Pleasanton.
“HSMC, and really everything at the Firehouse, [centers] around bringing the arts to a small town such as Pleasanton. [It] really gives high schoolers the opportunity to perform and to create in ways that they can’t in high school. Programs like these also teach high schoolers communication skills and how to delegate what they want within each other, which is nice,” said show director Kalia Miller.
