This school quarter was closed out with the traditional peppering of fine arts performances. One of which was the orchestra concert on September 19th. This was the orchestra’s first concert of the year, and a wonderful showcase of the musical talent that McClintock houses.
There are three classes in the orchestra department – Concert, Symphony, and Chamber. Concert is the beginner class and contains mostly freshmen. Many have participated in orchestra before, either in elementary or middle school, but a few started as complete beginners. One student with prior experience had this to say about her improvement, “I [had] been writing down my notes, but then… I learned to read my notes,”. (Writers note: this student was referring to writing the note name above each note in a piece of music, before learning to recognize them on their own.) This concert showcased the incredible growth that these students have made in their first quarter.
Each class played three pieces, with Symphony and Chamber performing one extra song together, From the Start by Leafey. Concert opened up the show with Snow Day, a song that demonstrates their fast improvements wonderfully. I personally witnessed Concert practicing this number a couple weeks before the concert, and in that short time they made several adjustments that really elevated the piece. Symphony did great as well, with a stand-out performance in Forever Joyful. Each section of the orchestra complimented each other wonderfully in this piece, and overall they brought a great touch to the brighter feel of the music. Chamber, the advanced class, of course had a great run as well. In an interview prior to the concert, one student mentioned how they felt particularly confident about the Romanian dance piece they would perform. This was evident during the concert when the small, but mighty ensemble glided through the melody with no hesitation or stumbles, despite its complexity.
Overall, the orchestra concert was a great display of the musical talent McClintock students possess. Each class and individual who performed should be exceptionally proud of their effort and progress.