Select members of the Holy Cross H.S., Flushing, concert band gave special holiday performances, Dec. 16, for two different groups of children with special needs.

The morning performance was held at St. Mary’s Hospital for Children, Bayside. The afternoon concert was held at the Bronx-based St. Joseph’s School for the Deaf, allowing children there to experience music through vibration.

“Even though this was a difficult experience, and I have a relative who is mentally disabled, I feel good knowing that I could make their day a little better,” said Luis Aviles, a junior. “We performed jazz songs, most of them holiday-oriented.”

“I feel like we made an impact and that our songs resonated with them,” said Preston Peck, a junior. “A lot of them were moving to the music, and the room was really alive.”

The full band performed at the school on the evening prior. Admission to the event was free. However, attendees were asked to contribute a new, unwrapped toy for a boy or a girl to be donated to the St. John’s Bread and Life Program, Bedford-Stuyvesant.