Orchestra wrapped up the school year with their spring concert last week which featured a variety of well known songs and medleys. Members reflected on the end of the year and their thoughts about the orchestra program.
“Prepping for this concert took about a month and involved playing together as a group, focusing on what we struggled with,” sophomore non-varsity orchestra member Serah Abraham said. “Also, playing in smaller groups to hear how our part fits with the rest of the group.”
The concert included the sub-non-varsity, non-varsity and varsity orchestras, as well as smaller groups like the senior ensemble. The varsity songs were “Capriccio Español,” “Hoe Down” and a John Williams trilogy. The non-varsity songs included “American Princess,” “On a Hymnsong of Philip Bliss” and “Fire in the Valley.”
“The three pieces we worked on were really tough,” senior varsity orchestra member Abhay Nampoothiri said. “Being able to learn how to play those pieces and being able to perform them in front of our audience of parents and friends made that concert extra special for the senior class.”
Nampoorthiri felt bittersweet about his time in the high school orchestra coming to an end, and reflected on what made this last concert meaningful.
“I just focused more on the music making part of it, so that made the concert more enjoyable,” Nampoothiri said. “My favorite part about the concert was that I got to play three very fun pieces, and since it was my last concert in high school orchestra, that made it more special.”
Orchestra helped students not only musically, but also through aspects of their busy lives.
“One thing I learned this year in orchestra was to persevere not only musically, but also be able to balance orchestra along with my extracurriculars,” Abraham said. “I think that was a really good teaching method, and it helped me grow and manage my time.”
An important part of orchestra members’ journeys is the impact their classmates and directors have on them.
“My classmates and teacher have shaped my orchestra experience by always pushing me,” Abraham said. “Being surrounded by so many talented musicians inspired me to push myself beyond my capabilities.”
Communication is key to making the whole orchestra sound good as a whole rather than just focusing on each individual player.
“I’ve grown as a musician more by being able to play in an orchestra setting better,” Nampoothiri said. “If you play by yourself as a solo player, you only have to worry about yourself and how you sound. But when you’re in an orchestra, you have to not only worry about how you sound, you also have to focus more on how the orchestra sounds as a whole. You have to be able to balance your part with everybody else’s, and be able to communicate with people in the rest of your section.”
Abraham gives newcomers advice to make the best of their orchestra experience.
“Advice I would give new orchestra students is to have fun, but also work hard because if you work hard the results will surely come along with it and it will all be worth it in the end,” Abraham said.
