After a few weeks off for the Christmas holidays, the BrookhavenHigh School band has decided to crank the tunes back up during aspecial performance for the public.

The BHS band will hold a winter concert at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Jan.22, at Alexander Junior High.

“We didn’t have a Christmas concert this year because of thefootball team being in the playoffs and the band still having toplay marching music, so we decided to have a winter concert,” saidZachary Harris, director of bands.

The concert will last approximately 45 minutes, with the bandplaying about six selections.

“It will be a nice, comfortable, relaxing concert for anyone toenjoy,” Harris added. “It will help promote the arts here inBrookhaven.”

The winter concert also serves as a prelude to an importantcompetition coming up in the spring.

Harris hopes the concert will prepare the students for the MusicFestivals Cruise, where 54 members of the band and 20 parents willtake a week-long trip as part of a musical competition.

“We’re going to start working next week on the music we willplay on the cruise,” Harris said.

The students will only perform once during the cruise, but thatperformance will be adjudicated by outstanding music educators whowill also rate other high school bands performing on the cruiseship.

“This is an educational way to introduce the group to a new andculturally enriching experience,” said Harris. “It’s a once in alifetime opportunity for these students.”

Members of the band have been planning and raising money for thetrip since Harris entered the band in 2000.

“We knew it would take a good two years to raise all the money,”he said.

Fundraisers during the last two years have almost completelycovered the almost $600 needed for each student.

“We’ve completed all the fundraisers and everything else willcome out of the students’ personal money,” he explained.

Harris hopes that the hard work will pay off for the studentswith good scores by the judges at the end of the cruise, but heknows the students will at least be rewarded with a memorabletime.

“This is just another way to thank the students and parents fortheir hard work,” he remarked.

The band has had an outstanding record at competitions duringthe last several years.

In the fall 2001, the marching band received all-superiorratings for the fourth consecutive year, making it the first timein school history to accomplish such a feat.

“We are very excited about the way in which the program hasgrown,” Harris said.

The students will leave for their trip on April 30, when theytravel to Orlando to visit Universal Studios before going to Miamito board the Imperial Majesty’s Ocean Breeze.

During the cruise to Nassau, the band will take an excursion toBlue Lagoon Island, the original location for the filming of”Gilligan’s Island.”

“The students are very excited about it. They’ll get to do somesnorkeling and water skiing,” Harris commented.