As Noteworthy enjoys our winter holiday break and we bring 2023 to a close, we want to take a moment to reflect on how Noteworthy has embraced the spirit of the season over the years. From our unique blend of musical performances to community engagements, we've found new ways to spread cheer and connect through the universal language of music during the holidays.
Why We Do What We Do for the Holidays
The holiday season is a tapestry of community spirit and shared joy, and at Noteworthy Philadelphia, we believe music is the golden thread that binds this fabric together.
During this enchanting time, our group transcends the mere performance of notes and melodies; we become ambassadors of harmony and happiness. Our mission goes beyond honing vocal talents; it's about embedding ourselves into the heart of Philadelphia, making the city's holiday experience richer with our choruses. Whether it's a classic carol echoing through the crisp winter air or a contemporary tune hummed in unison, our voices capture the essence of togetherness, celebrating diversity and unity in every note. As we continue to grow, our vision is to be an integral part of Philadelphia's holiday tradition, bringing smiles and warmth to every corner of the Greater Philadelphia Area.
How the Group Handled the Holidays Over the Years
Our journey through the holiday seasons has surely been a learning curve, evolving from a casual approach to a more structured one. This evolution reflects our growing dedication and professionalism.
Starting our holiday preparations in October, a goal finally achieved in 2023, has allowed us to present more polished performances, showcasing our growth and adaptability as a group.
How We Choose Our Holiday Songs
Song selection for the holiday season is a blend of democratic choice and executive foresight. This process not only caters to diverse tastes but also ensures a fresh and engaging winter repertoire each year.
While we encourage group input, the executive board’s proactive approach ensures a baseline of quality and variety. Our approach to song selection exemplifies our balance between member involvement and leadership direction. We start polling the group for songs they’d like to see in the upcoming holiday season around mid-summer. We provide feedback to the group on songs that were most successful in performances from years past and discuss which holiday songs from our last 5 years on our 2-year rotation to alternate between this year.
And we love to rotate soloists during the holidays so everyone gets a chance to shine!
Our Holiday Music Videos
Our commitment to producing at least four full group music videos quarterly is amplified during the holiday season. These videos are not just performances; they are our messages to the community and our fans, especially on social media.
For the holiday season, depending member availability and the bandwidth of the our in-house video editors and our contracted videographer partner, the group could reasonably pull off multiple videos during the winter season. The potential to create multiple holiday-themed videos showcases our versatility and embraces the spirit of various celebrations, from Hanukkah to Christmas and beyond.
Check out our Winter Holiday Countdown Playlist on YouTube.
The Various Holiday Performance We Have
The holiday season, second only to the summer, is our busiest and most vibrant time for performances. Our engagements, ranging from local events to private functions, exemplify our adaptability and intentionality regarding integration with the Philadelphia community.
Year over year, we have a few gigs that we keep space for every year if scheduled. A great consistent opportunity to perform in recent years was at a private Christmas party at the home of our Executive Director’s work colleague. Another regular holiday gig we love is performing at Philadelphia’s Christmas Village at their authentic open air German Market at LOVE Park in Center City. Every time we perform at these events, we get a flood of new fans on social media and they serve as great chances for recruitment as well!
In the years before the pandemic we used to work with the Support Center for Child Advocates to carol to raise money for, purchase, donate, sort, and deliver toys and necessary items for their annual Holiday Toy Drive. We remain hopeful about aligning our schedules for future involvement with SCCA as they’ve since retooled their holiday drive to a gift card drive with earlier dates and deadlines, making it challenging to raise money during the holidays for the holidays.
The process of organizing our winter concert this year in 2023, despite the time constraints faced by our Executive Director and Director of Communications and Events, culminated in a memorable performance at Bonk's Bar and Crabhouse. Even within limited timeframes, our efforts demonstrate our dedication to bringing music to the community as we had a wonderful time performing in their Grinch Garage for our family, friends, and some new fans!
Our Holiday Abstention Policy
Inclusivity and respect for individual beliefs is an important cornerstone of our diversity and inclusion philosophy. Members who choose not to partake in holiday performances due to personal beliefs are not only understood but are also given an alternative path to contribute.
Our Holiday Abstention policy underscores our commitment to diversity and personal expression. By engaging in a community music project and sharing their experiences through a blog post, these members enrich our collective journey. The blog post below of Naomi, a former member, despite its simplicity and somewhat missing the mark, serves as an ersatz testament to this enriching experience we aim for any members who utilize this abstention.
We don’t want members to take a break from the music, and we definitely don’t want them to stop being a part of the community during the holiday season, so we task them to find a community music project that speaks to them on an individual level that’s feasible for them during the winter holiday season and serves the communities they identify with.
Moving Forward and the Future
As we look to the future, our ambition isn't just about increasing our performance footprint; it's about becoming an intrinsic, delightful part of Philadelphia's holiday fabric.
We envision a future where Noteworthy is synonymous with holiday cheer in Philadelphia. We invite potential members and performance partners to join us in this journey, hoping to welcome new faces and opportunities next year.
Our goal is to continue expanding our reach, touching more lives with our music and becoming an indelible part of our community's holiday experience.
