Every year band and orchestra students start their holiday season by dusting off an old classic: Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride. Which is performed by the full orchestra at the holiday concert. The tune also serves as the audition piece for the symphony orchestra. Alumni who graduated 30 years ago remember playing the piece, but it seems that some musicians are growing tired of the tradition.

Concert violinist Elizabeth Means (‘27) learned Sleigh Ride for the first time this year and expressed her frustration with how the process went.

“I highly dislike the song,” Means said. “It is difficult to play and the violas weren’t exactly taught their parts when we were learning the song. I think the tradition should change.”

Orchestra director Phillip Sylvester attributed the dislike to being new to a challenging piece, pointing out that it’s usually just underclassmen who have issues with it.

“As students get older, they generally enjoy it more because they are better at it, can play it faster, and inherently become leaders for the underclassman to look up to,” Sylvester said. “The pieces and scales stay the same forever so students can learn and improve a bit more each year.”

Sylvester also mentioned how the piece offers a technical challenge for students, requiring the use of new hand positions some aren’t used to.

“It supports shifting patterns that are challenging for upper positions,” Sylvester said. “It is also a great collaboration opportunity to play with the band that requires minimal rehearsal time.”

Many pleas could help make the piece more enjoyable, like rehearsing as a full orchestra or paying more attention to individual sections. Some believe it needs to be a different song altogether, but as it stands this holiday season, the tradition will stick around for a while.

“Sleigh Ride is a nationwide tradition; bands and orchestras perform it all over the country every year,” Sylvester said.