This program is brought to you in part by the Erika Lewis Endowment Fund.

♪♪♪ Welcome to this special holiday edition of Student Spotlight.

I'm Melinda Malone.

-And I'm Mauricio Marin.

'Tis the season to shine the spotlight on our students' musical talents.

You may not know, but the Clark County School District has the largest public school fine arts program in the entire United States.

-During the next half hour, we'll visit three schools to learn more about their music programs and then enjoy special performances just for you.

Our first stop is Billy and Rosemary Vassiliadis Elementary School.

♪♪♪ (Aiden Kegley) I like singing and playing music.

The reason why I really even came into choir was I just saw people singing and I thought, I want to do that.

♪♪♪ (Savannah Lunkwitz) So in music class, we've learned how to play the xylophone, the ukulele, sometimes we learn recorders.

And we just learned all the different notes in music too so we don't just get to sing the music, we get to understand how it works.

(Melissa Lovewell) We have a really hardy music program here.

Our kiddos come twice a week for choir before school as early as 7:00 in the morning.

(Gavin Walsh) You can't really do it after school because a lot of people have after-school activities.

No one's going to have any activities before school.

We've been working for a very long time singing, practicing, waking up early.

"Here we go."

♪♪♪ (Mia Wikler) When I was a really little kid-- I can't say kid cuz I am a kid-- so whenever I sang, it just made me feel really happy.

I mean, that's what I thought I wanted to do for a really long time.

-Well, music is just-- I like music a lot and sometimes singing and listening to it is fun.

-I feel like we all forget about everything else, and music kind of takes us away from things and it joins us all together.

-Last year was a very sad year for many music teachers because music requires gathering of people, and you need that spirit to make it the way it is.

So without being able to be together last year, it was really heartbreaking.

I am just glad to be back with them.

They look good, they sound good, they're glad to be together, and they're excited about performing.

We are so grateful.

-Our first song brings the excitement of playing in the snow.

Please enjoy "Snowtime."

♪ Snowtime, it's snowtime.

♪ ♪ It's a fine time to get up and go time.

♪ ♪ There's no time like snowtime, ♪ ♪ so on with the snow, let's go!

♪ ♪♪♪ ♪ Skating in the park ♪ ♪ (skating in the park) ♪ ♪ Sliding down the hill ♪ ♪ (sliding down the hill) ♪ ♪ Building forts and snowmen ♪ ♪ (snowmen) ♪ ♪ Braving winter's chill.

♪ ♪ See the snowflakes fall ♪ ♪ (see the snowflakes fall) ♪ ♪ Hear the sleigh bells ring ♪ ♪ (hear the sleigh bells ring) ♪ ♪ Join the fun and laughter ♪ ♪ (laughter) ♪ ♪ Let your spirit sing!

♪ ♪ Snowtime.

♪ ♪ (look at them go) ♪ ♪ It's snowtime.

♪ ♪ (on with the show!)

♪ ♪ It's a fine time to get up and go time.

♪ ♪ There's no time ♪ ♪ (snow in the air) ♪ ♪ Like snowtime.

♪ ♪ (snow everywhere) ♪ ♪ So on with the snow, let's go!

♪ ♪ Let's go!

Let's go!

♪ Our next song is from our school musical featuring our fifth grade soloist Sophia.

Please enjoy "Lost at Sea."

♪♪♪ ♪ Shining star up in the night, ♪ ♪ can you tell me why ♪ ♪ I can't see what you can see ♪ ♪ up there in the sky.

♪ ♪ Lost at sea, lost at sea.

♪ ♪ Tell me where I'm meant to be.

♪ ♪ Hear my plea, set me free, ♪ ♪ 'cause I'm lost, I'm lost at sea.

♪ ♪♪♪ ♪ I'm alone and I'm afraid, ♪ ♪ rolling with the tide.

♪ ♪ Don't you know, sure as I grow, ♪ ♪ what I feel inside?

♪ ♪ Lost at sea, lost at sea.

♪ ♪ Tell me where I'm meant to be.

♪ ♪ Hear my plea, set me free, ♪ ♪ 'cause I'm lost, I'm lost at sea.

♪ ♪ Lost at sea, lost at sea.

♪ ♪ Tell me where I'm meant to be.

♪ ♪ Hear my plea, set me free, ♪ ♪ 'cause I'm lost, I'm lost at sea.

♪ ♪ What will become of me?

♪ Finally we have "Winter Fantasy."

It's a mix with the "Winter Fantasy" song and "Jingle Bells."

I hope you like "Winter Fantasy."

♪ Snowflakes falling all over town, ♪ ♪ slipping, sliding, ♪ ♪ everybody rushing 'round.

♪ ♪ There's an icy chill in the air ♪ ♪ telling us that winter's really here.

♪ ♪ Oh, I'm so glad that winter is here!

♪ ♪ Grab your sled and let out a happy cheer ♪ ♪ because it's snowing, ♪ ♪ blowing all through the day.

♪ ♪ Winter winds will surely ♪ ♪ blow all your cares away.

♪ ♪♪♪ ♪ Dashing through the snow, ♪ ♪ in a one-horse open sleigh.

♪ ♪ O'er the fields we go, ♪ ♪ laughing all the way!

♪ ♪ Bells on bobtails ring, ♪ ♪ making spirits bright.

♪ ♪ What fun it is to ride and sing ♪ ♪ a sleighing song tonight.

♪ ♪ Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells, ♪ ♪ jingle all the way!

♪ ♪ Oh, what fun it is to ride ♪ ♪ in a one-horse open sleigh!

♪ ♪ Jingle bells, jingle bells, ♪ ♪ jingle all the way!

♪ ♪ Oh, what fun it is to ride ♪ ♪ in a one-horse open sleigh!

♪ ♪♪♪ ♪ Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells, ♪ ♪ jingle all the way!

♪ ♪ Oh, what fun it is to ride ♪ ♪ in a one-horse open sleigh!

♪ ♪ Jingle bells, jingle bells, ♪ ♪ jingle all the way!

♪ ♪ Oh, what fun it is to ride ♪ ♪ in a one-horse open sleigh!

♪ Amazing job.

Thank you for that performance.

Now to John C. Fremont Professional Development Middle School to meet members of Mariachi Azul.

♪♪♪ (Yajaira Gonzalez) Mariachi Azul is Fremont PDMS' mariachi, official mariachi.

It consists of violins, harmonia, which is vihuela, guitar and then we have trumpets.

Oh, and guitarron.

(Madeline Castro-Cruz) When I was a little girl, I used to watch TV with my mom and everything, and I would sometimes see mariachi groups and I would look up to them.

(Blanier Bojorquez) We work very hard to try because this takes a lot of timing, like all at the same time, perfect singing.

We're representing the whole school with our mariachi tradition.

(Donato Avila) Mariachi is its own genre.

It is its own genre, like we're not band, we're not orchestra, we're not choir.

You have to be able to sing like a choir and you also have to be able to put on a show, like a theatre production.

(Keily Cruz) My family encouraged me to be in mariachi because my family generates from mariachi.

They've all been mariachi, so I think it was just meant to be.

♪♪♪ Well, I just got inspired from watching my cousin do it earlier before me, and I wanted to follow in her footsteps and I decided to do it.

-In Mariachi Azul over the years, there's not just been Hispanic students, we've had everything.

We've had African Americans, we've had Asian Pacific Islanders, we've had everything.

-I like it because when I first entered in sixth grade, I loved it when I first played with the bow.

When I first played the bow on the string, I was impressed and then like I wanted to practice more.

-It's an honor to have your traje and you get to get your own shirt with your own name and everything.

-To have the students perform is amazing.

Not having them during the COVID affected me differently.

Sorry.

Oh, no.

Stop stop stop!

Because it's true.

Our first selection is going to be "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."

♪ You know Dasher and Dancer ♪ ♪ and Prancer and Vixen, ♪ ♪ Comet and Cupid ♪ ♪ and Donner and Blitzen, ♪ ♪ but do you recall ♪ ♪ the most famous reindeer of all?

♪ ♪ Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer ♪ ♪ had a very shiny nose, ♪ ♪ and if you ever saw it ♪ ♪ you would even say it glows.

♪ ♪ All of the other reindeer ♪ ♪ used to laugh and call him names.

♪ ♪ They never let poor Rudolph ♪ ♪ join in any reindeer games.

♪ ♪ Then one foggy Christmas Eve ♪ ♪ Santa came to say, ♪ ♪ Rudolph with your nose so bright ♪ ♪ won't you guide my sleigh tonight?

♪ ♪ Then how the reindeer loved him ♪ ♪ as they shouted out with glee, ♪ ♪ yipee!

♪ ♪ Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, ♪ ♪ you'll go down in history!

♪ ♪ Hey!

♪ Our next selection is going to be "Arboles de la Barranca," a classic ranchera.

♪♪♪ (singing in Spanish) ♪♪♪ Our final selection will be the Christmas classic "Feliz Navidad."

♪♪♪ (singing in Spanish) ♪♪♪ We want to wish you a Merry Christmas... from the bottom of our hearts!

We want to wish you a Merry Christmas... from the bottom of our hearts!

♪♪♪ Fantastic job!

A big thanks to everyone at Fremont.

We can't wait to see your new campus next year.

Now, our last stop on this holiday music tour is in Henderson.

Please meet the Green Valley High School Madrigal Singers.

All right.

Let's do do-re-mi-fa-so...

So hands up, here we go, ready?

(Tanner Lewis) Warming up is very important here because it gets you energized and helps your voice get ready for the day and hit the higher and lower notes and helps with your breath and everything.

(Lily Wolfe) Being a part of any choir group is absolutely magical, especially when you-- like when you hear a cool chord lock, or when you're all singing in unison but you come from different areas.

(Johnny Karigianes) That's why it requires so much practice.

With our other choirs, we don't usually meet every day like madrigals does, but we have a lot more difficult pieces, I would say.

♪♪♪ (Sarah Chemplavil) It feels like the room is charged with a different kind of energy, and I think I can speak for all of us, when we sing it's almost like being transported to a different dimension.

You can feel that magic in the room.

(Kim Ritzer) This is the first holiday season we're back in person, and we're so happy.

It was really hard on remote.

They all sang in their own rooms and they sent in videos and audio of themselves, and then we put them together and we did a big holiday concert and we did a big spring concert that were virtual, online.

♪♪♪ Now that we're back, I guess we realize how important it is that we get to all be together, and we have so much more gratitude and we realize what we took for granted.

-I'm extremely proud to be part of this, and then just to make music with all the talented people in the room and just be here and be present in the moment.

♪♪♪ -Ready?

Chante.

I love being part of a group like this because it's so great to come together all as one and make music and be part of a bigger family.

-I just have to say, I've been teaching for 32 years in the School District and 31 of them here at Green Valley High School, and these kids are more resilient than I've ever seen anyone be and it's because of what we've had to go through the last two years.

You know, we're all very grateful and we feel very blessed to be here with, you know, one of the most amazing directors in the nation, Ms. Ritzer.

I just want people to know that we really do love doing what we do, and we feel very grateful to share the gift of music with everyone else.

-The first piece we're performing is "Angels We Have Heard on High."

♪ Angels we have heard on high ♪ ♪ sweetly singing o'er the plains, ♪ ♪ and the mountains in reply ♪ ♪ echoing their joyous strains: ♪ ♪ Glo--ria ♪ ♪ in excelsis Deo, ♪ ♪ Glo--ria ♪ ♪ in excelsis Deo.

♪ ♪♪♪ ♪ Shepherds, why this jubilee?

♪ ♪ Why your joyous strains prolong?

♪ ♪ What the gladsome tidings be ♪ ♪ which inspire your heav'nly song?

♪ ♪ Glo--ria ♪ ♪ in excelsis Deo, ♪ ♪ Glo--ria ♪ ♪ in excelsis Deo.

♪ ♪♪♪ ♪ Come to Bethlehem and see ♪ ♪ Him whose birth the angels sing.

♪ ♪ Come adore on bended knee ♪ ♪ Christ the Lord, our newborn King.

♪ ♪ Glo--ria ♪ ♪ in excelsis Deo, ♪ ♪ Glo--ria ♪ ♪ in excelsis Deo.

♪ ♪♪♪ Our next piece will be "Silver Bells."

♪♪♪ ♪ City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, ♪ ♪ dressed in holiday style.

♪ ♪ In the air there's a feeling of Christmas.

♪ ♪ Children laughing, people passing, ♪ ♪ meeting smile after smile, ♪ ♪ and on every street corner you hear ♪ ♪ silver bells, silver bells, ♪ ♪ it's Christmas time in the city.

♪ ♪ Hear the bells go ring-a-ling, ♪ ♪ hear them ring, ♪ ♪ soon it will be Christmas Day.

♪ ♪ Strings of street lights, ♪ ♪ even stop lights ♪ ♪ blink a bright red and green ♪ ♪ as the shoppers rush home ♪ ♪ with their treasures.

♪ ♪ Hear the snow crunch, ♪ ♪ see the kids bunch, ♪ ♪ this is Santa's big scene.

♪ ♪ And above all this bustle you'll hear, ♪ ♪ you'll hear ♪ ♪ silver bells, silver bells, ♪ ♪ It's Christmas time in the city.

♪ ♪ Hear the bells go ring-a-ling, ♪ ♪ hear them ring, ♪ ♪ hear them ring, ♪ ♪ soon it will be Christmas Day.

♪ ♪♪♪ And our third and final piece we'll be performing is the classic holiday favorite, "Carol of the Bells."

♪ Hark how the bells, sweet silver bells, ♪ ♪ All seem to say, throw cares away.

♪ ♪ Christmas is here, bringing good cheer ♪ ♪ to young and old, meek and the bold.

♪ ♪ Ding dong, ding dong, that is their song ♪ ♪ With joyful ring, all caroling.

♪ ♪ One seems to hear, words of good cheer ♪ ♪ from everywhere, filling the air.

♪ ♪ Oh, how they pound, raising the sound ♪ ♪ o'er hill and dale, telling their tale.

♪ ♪ Gaily they ring, while people sing ♪ ♪ songs of good cheer, Christmas is here.

♪ ♪ Merry merry merry merry Christmas, ♪ ♪ merry merry merry merry Christmas.

♪ ♪ On, on they send, on without end ♪ ♪ Their joyful tone, to every home.

♪ ♪ Hark how the bells, sweet silver bells, ♪ ♪ All seem to say, throw cares away.

♪ ♪ Christmas is here, bringing good cheer ♪ ♪ to young and old, meek and the bold.

♪ ♪ Ding dong, ding dong, that is their song ♪ ♪ With joyful ring, all caroling.

♪ ♪ One seems to hear, words of good cheer ♪ ♪ from everywhere, filling the air.

♪ ♪ Oh, how they pound, raising the sound ♪ ♪ o'er hill and dale, telling their tale.

♪ ♪ Gaily they ring, while people sing ♪ ♪ songs of good cheer, Christmas is here.

♪ ♪ Merry merry merry merry Christmas, ♪ ♪ merry merry merry merry Christmas.

♪ ♪ On, on they send, on without end ♪ ♪ their joyful tone, to every home.

♪ ♪ On, on they send, on without end ♪ ♪ their joyful tone, to every home.

♪ ♪ Ding dong ding dong... ♪ ♪ Bong!

♪ What a beautiful way to close out the program but before we go, we want to give a special shout-out to all of the 530 music teachers in the Clark County School District.

Thank you for sharing your passion with our students.

-From everyone here at Student Spotlight, thanks for watching and Happy Holidays.

We'll see you next year.

♪♪♪