On Friday, January 23rd, 2026, Lakeview Band and Choir treated audiences not only to a spaghetti dinner, but a night full of outstanding performances. The Spaghetti Dinner is a fundraising event occurring annually for fifteen years now to help support Lakeview music programs. Students, families, and anyone else who purchased tickets received a delicious meal of spaghetti with meatballs, a side of salad and bread, and dessert to accompany their music-listening experience. Basket raffles with exciting prizes were also available.
As guests were entertained, students performing had a chance to sharpen their skills. Learning doesn’t always need to be confined to a classroom, after all! Band director Nathan Sensabaugh explained, “We [the band] use Spaghetti Dinner for a lot of different playing opportunities.”
Sensabaugh added, “Our Solo and Ensemble students get a chance to play in a more public place than what they get at Solo and Ensemble. Oftentimes our students work really hard on some music, but only get to play it for a judge and a few parents. At Spaghetti dinner, they have a much larger audience. Every Concert Band and Symphonic Band member had at least one chance to play that evening.”
The event also serves as “a performance opportunity for our jazz bands. The Lakeview Blues (our top jazz ensemble,) and Jazz Ensemble White (our after school group) get an opportunity to be the featured group at this event.”
Sensabaugh also considers the Spaghetti Dinner to be “a chance to try new things” including the debut of an entirely new performance group.
“This year we started a rock band, and that group (called “Deja Blue”) got their first performance opportunity.”
Likewise, this was the choir’s second year being included. “It was great because our choir students participated as well with some solos and small groups.”
The more the merrier!
Performing in the Spaghetti Dinner requires lots of dedication and overcoming pressure for many Lakeview students. Junior Jester StJohn was a key example of this.
According to StJohn, “Performing for both the band and choir was incredibly stressful, especially with the addition of Rock Band. In the choir, every event is performed, while in band, only ensembles are required to perform, so this is the first year that I have been expected to perform a solo for spaghetti dinner despite having prepared a solo for Solo Ensemble since freshman year. The entire weekend was packed with high expectations, but I managed to meet most of them.”
Ultimately, it seems that the Spaghetti Dinner was a big hit for everyone. Junior Logan Hartman, who is in band, shared his feelings on the night of the performance, “The overall performance was the best I have been in so far. The audience was live-like and just a pleasure to play for in every group that played. Props to the band and the choir groups that performed there, everyone did fantastic in their respective fields. I got a lot of positive feedback from the audience about everything.”
By the end of the night, twenty-five incredibly talented groups and 6 soloists performed in total. These consisted of: Brass Choirs White and Blue, Bassoon Trio, Trumpet Trio, Trombone Trio, Horn Quartet, Low Brass Choir, Sax Trio, Quartet, Quintet, and Sextet, Clarinet Quartet, Percussion Ensembles White and Blue, Flute Trios White and Blue, Flute Choir, Woodwind Choirs White and Blue, Woodwind Quartet, soloists Axel Pistilli, Kana Banning, Jester StJohn, and Leeann Schuster, Lakeview Treble Ensemble, Lakeview Mixed Vocal Ensemble, Jazz White, Deja Blue, and Lakeview Blues.
Here’s to a job well done by the band, choir, and their instructors! This musical tradition seems to only get bigger and better from here on.
