Walkin’ Down Christmas Lane

The twelfth piece in the concert, entitled Walkin’ Down Christmas Lane, was arranged by JaRod Hall (see below) this year.

From the composer:

“Back in 2014, I used to play sousaphone and trombone at Disneyland in their All-American College Band program. The music we played, the showmanship of our director Ron McCurdy demonstrated, and the smiles I saw from hundreds of thousands of people that summer resulted in feelings I will never forget. Walkin’ Down Christmas Lane is my way of re-living that experience. I always imagined how truly magical strolling through Main Street would be during the holidays. This particular medley of holiday tunes aims to evoke the spirit of the season with just a little bit of attitude and a whole lotta soul.”

The medley includes “Here Comes Santa Claus”, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”, “Jingle Bells”, and parts of “Deck the Halls”, “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, “Away in a Manger”, “The First Noel”, “Good King Wenceslas” and “O Holy Night”. It is quite varied in its treatment of the songs, using these style indicators in the parts: Warmly, Rock, Hip Hop, Salsa-Nova, Slow Gospel and Up-tempo Gospel, among more traditional notations.

Arranger JaRod Hall (b. 1991) is a Texas-native educator, performer, and composer. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of North Texas where he studied conducting with Nicholas Williams and Dennis Fisher. He is currently the director of bands at Hobby Middle School in San Antonio, Texas. JaRod's bands have received consistent sweepstakes awards at the Texas University Interscholastic League Concert and Sightreading Evaluations, as well as being recognized at the state level. In 2018 and 2019, JaRod's bands at Griffin Middle School earned the Citation of Excellence award, honoring the top two non-varsity bands in the state of Texas.

A passionate performer, JaRod has been a part of many ensembles such as the North Texas Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band, 3 O’ Clock Lab Band, Carrollton Wind Symphony, Metropolitan Winds, and during his time in high school the Texas All-State Symphonic Band (2007-09) and Jazz Band (2010). He served as drum major for the 2013 Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps, and was a member of the 2014 Disneyland All-American College Band. He is currently a freelance tubist and trombonist in the San Antonio area.

As a composer, JaRod's compositions appear on the Texas Prescribed Music List, The J.W. Pepper “Editor's Choice” list, and the Bandworld Top 100 list. His composition Lost Woods Fantasy was showcased at the 73rd annual Midwest Clinic in Chicago by the Berkner High School Band, which was composed of the first students JaRod taught as a band director in Richardson ISD. His composition Silver Fanfare was selected as a winner of the Dallas Winds Call for Fanfares, and Through the Storm was selected as the 2021 Barbara Buehlman Prize winner for high school band, featured at the 76th annual Midwest clinic in Chicago.

Hall is one of eight founding members of the Nu Black Vanguard, a composers collective dedicated to the promotion and advancement of Black composers in the medium of music; the other seven founding members are Kevin Day, Katahj Copley, Marie A. Douglas, Benjamin Horne, Kelijah Dunton, Dayla D. Spencer, and Adrian B. Sims.

JaRod is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree in Composition at Texas State University. He resides in San Antonio, Texas with his wife, Rachel (the smart one in the family) who is a medical student at the University of Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine.

The music for Walkin’ Down Christmas Lane was purchased for the band by Susan Evans and Ross Fjermedal to celebrate Sharon Lee and Earl Gray.