A Note about Orchestra

Zoe Linko & Emma Bruno

Orchestra has always been a place where we can go to express ourselves and grow as musicians. Not only is Mrs. Jackson an amazing teacher that always connects with her students, but having classmates with the same interests working together to make beautiful music is something really special to us. Because orchestra is set up in groups of two, where everyone has a stand partner, it has been a great way for many of us to make long-lasting friendships that go all the way back to fifth grade.

Our class meets every single school day rehearsing for a class period and working on things such as intonation, music theory, and rhythm. All of these skills help our orchestra to get on the same page and prepare for our concerts throughout the year. In class we mainly play classical music; although we do have a Christmas concert filled with many classics. Outside of school, we have a symphony with band instruments every Monday starting in October and going all the way through to February. This symphony meets for two hours and works on harder, more intense pieces for the more advanced players in our regular ensemble and therefore we are able to play difficult music. We also have an orchestra over the summer called “Rock Orchestra” where we play many famous songs, anything from Bon Jovi to Coldplay. This is probably our parents’ favorite concert, because they get to sing along to all of the classics they love.

All of these different options to play and improve really make orchestra a unique environment where we all become a sort of family, motivated to make music together. We have truly enjoyed being a part of this amazing music community within West, and we hope many generations to come will find home in orchestra as well.