Spectrum band’s pianist, Megha Rao, set aside her piano and took the microphone for their final performance of the year. On May 20th and 21st, the Spectrum band, lovingly referred to by its members as The Lid, performed “Sir Duke” by Stevie Wonder at the Pops concert. The Lid’s performance at Pops typically features a lead vocalist from the group of singers/dancers of the Spectrum group. This year, the group decided to try something new and accepted Rao’s request to sing the lead.

Commonly known as a quiet student, many were surprised when Rao walked onto center stage and grabbed the microphone. For the past 4 years, she’s been a part of The Lid as a pianist. She commented that she wanted the solo because “It was my senior year and I thought it would be fun.” After the concerts, many audience members noted that she looked like she was having fun and enjoying herself. Rao remarked, “I think it went well. People told me it went well.”

Though widely unknown, Rao has enjoyed singing in her free time “since she was a little kid.” She began singing in an organized group through T.E. singers in 6th grade. At SWHS, she performed with the concert choir her freshman year, as well as the all-female acapella group, Treble Choir, her sophomore year. No longer in an official choir, she doesn’t sing regularly because “it depends. Sometimes I’ll go to concerts and I’ll really miss it, but other times I go three million years without singing.” When asked if she prefers to sing or play the piano, she giggled and responded, “Both at the same time. I like playing classical stuff and singing non-classical stuff.”

At Pops, Rao also performed a duet with fellow senior, Grace Helmke. In her duet, she played the piano accompaniment for the song, “Grow As We Go.” Her final two performances at Pops marked the end of her SWHS musical career. Rao was “sad, because the ends of things are always sad.” She smiled as she mentioned the thing she will miss most is taking part of a post-concert ritual in which everyone, including Mr. Martino, bites out of a pineapple.