Photo/Jason Quitos
All 111 students in concert, sinfonia, and counterpoint orchestras playing a piece together during the fall concert
The orchestra has grown into the biggest in school history, with 111 students in all three of the orchestras: Concert, Sinfonia, and Counterpoint. This is a big step from 91 last year, and 76 the year before.
In any orchestra, one must pay attention to the director and performers around them. But they have to block out things that can disrupt a performance in a smaller orchestra as well.
These skills weren’t as crucial due to the smaller amount of people, and therefore, fewer distractions.
With the rising number of musicians joining, these skills need to be sharpened for a smoother concert.
“In [pieces] that we all played together, it was hard because you can’t see everyone. It’s mostly a challenge of listening and looking,” sophomore Hope Adelson said.
For the director, managing more than 100 students at a time can be a challenge. There are different learning styles special to each student, and the conductor needs to be attuned to all of them.
“I think the biggest struggle is preparing all that music for all those classes and being able to adjust to everyone’s skill levels,” music instructor Calogero Fanara said.
Adapting to the people around you can not only help with playing, but students also get the chance to form closer bonds with their fellow orchestra members.
“It creates a sense of camaraderie. You learn a lot from having to adapt to the other people around you and work with them,” junior Josh Anderson said.
Since the number of performers is bigger, the groups taken to MPA (Music Performance Assessment) will be bigger.
Instead of the usual two classes going to MPA, there will be all three orchestras going, for the first time in history.
The orchestras don’t play all together much, but when they do, according to Fanara, it creates a warm and welcoming environment for students and the overall campus.
