The orchestra students had a concert on Monday, October 21, 2024. They performed great, which sparked the question: What have they done to prepare that made them this good? Let’s take a deeper dive into how they have prepared and explore all of the nooks and crannies of orchestra music.

I decided to interview Joemichael Garcia for this subject. He is the teacher for orchestra and had a lot of information on how they prepared for the concert. I first asked him the obvious: “What have y’all done to prepare for the concert?” He answered with, “Various rehearsals throughout the school day. We’ve had sectionals for our top classes in the morning, rehearsals with piano accompaniment with Ms. Holiday, and we had a guest conductor come in, Julie Post, who worked with them as well, and she has really helped us out too.” This just shows how much work goes into preparing for the concert. It also shows what strategies are the best. Mr. Garcia and Ms. Gil know what they are doing with their students.

Next, I asked how much time they would need to perfect everything. Mr. Garcia responded with, “I would never say it is perfected, but we are doing a good job right now. I always tell them that it is never going to be perfect; they’re going to make mistakes no matter what.” This shows that in music, nothing is ever perfect, and there are always things to improve on and ways to make it better.

They played multiple songs for the concert and had a lot of variety. They played some fancy music and some haunted, mysterious music for Halloween. So, I asked what songs they would be playing at the concert and why. Each of his classes is playing different songs. He said they are playing some “Halloween music to kind of get in the fall mood a little bit. And then there is some music that requires some students to yell when they are playing. And then some classical music for our top classes.” This shows what songs they are playing and why.

This led me to ask what song was the hardest to play. He responded with, “A piece that our chamber orchestra is playing called ‘Phantom Waltz.’”

In conclusion, the orchestra’s performance was the result of a lot of hard work, diverse preparation, and dedication from both the students and their teachers. Through various rehearsals, different musical styles, and constant improvement, the orchestra was able to showcase their talent and impress their audience. It’s clear that their commitment to perfecting their craft and working as a team led to a successful and memorable concert.