On March 7th, instrumentalists joined together in the High School Auditorium to create beautiful music that was enjoyed by the many people sitting in the audience. But, what did it take to plan and to organize this concert? And how did it turn out?
It all started out in 2004 when Ms. Adrianne Fuller wanted to give an opportunity to the elementary and high school kids to come together and share their musical experience with each other. Then, a few years later, Ms. Fuller’s dream became reality. The first year was better than she thought it would be, and she was left in awe. Because of Ms. Adrianne Fuller, every year, the sounds of students playing music can be heard from the auditorium.
The planning for this concert started in September. The two orchestra teachers, Mr. David Hertzberg and Ms. Adrianne Fuller, chose out one piece (per ensemble) from the winter concert and one piece that they were planning to play in the spring concert. The preparations for the concert included having a chair and a stand for every player. Also, every single instrument needed to be tuned, which took about two hours. But, when all the arrangements were done, the concert had just started.
The concert had promised to be a great night of music and it was. The orchestras involved were (in order) the 4th grade orchestra, the 5th grade orchestra, the middle school orchestra, the high school orchestra, and the high school quartet. At the end of the concert, the high school orchestra played the piece “Spring” with the fifth graders. Crystal Gao, a sixth grader who was seated in the audience, said “I thought it was interesting to see how they progressed from the 4th grade orchestra to the high school orchestra because you could see the difference of the pieces played.” Alisha Pandya, another fellow sixth grader who played in the middle school orchestra, also commented on the order of the program. She said, “I think it was a great experience for us. It was a beautiful concert, and it was cool how we saw everyone in the whole district in order. It was amazing to see it all! It was also fun to play in it!”
The concert was a great success and the goal to bring all the string players together was definitely fulfilled. Sophia Racanelli, a student who played in the fourth grade orchestra, agreed, “Everyone put a lot of work into it, but it was definitely worth it!”