Three times a year, the De Soto High School Band spends months rehearsing new material for their concert performances. The next concert will be held on Monday, Feb. 13 at 7 pm at DHS.

The band has been preparing for this concert since they returned from winter break, but there’s been a few bumps in the road according to band director Matt Bradford.

“The most difficult part has been getting all of the students here for rehearsal due to the recent flu cases,” Bradford said.

Drum Major Zach Yarbrough also added that there has been some trouble with the song difficulty in the Symphonic Band.

“It’s been hard getting everyone on the same page,” Yarbrough said. “A couple of our songs are pretty technically difficult, but not to the point where they’re impossible. Getting everyone to play the right rhythms at the right tempos has been tricky, but we’re getting so close to the concert now that we’re really nit-picking.”

Despite the trouble preparing, the band is very excited for this concert.

“The Symphonic Band is playing Phantom of the Opera and everyone is super pumped,” Yarbrough said. “It’s a classic piece of music that we all really enjoy playing.”

According to Bradford, other highlights of the concert will include City of Lights, Out of the Doghouse and “selections from our new Percussion Ensemble.”

The concert will include performances from the Symphonic, Concert and Jazz Bands, with each band performing two or three songs. Bradford anticipates that it will go well.

“It should be a good concert and it has been really fun watching them improve over the past few weeks,” Bradford said.