On Monday, January 22, 2024, the Bel Air high school string orchestra played with the Bel Air middle school 8th graders, Emmorton Elementary school 5th graders, and Homestead Wakefield Elementary 5th graders on the annual Bel Air High School string day. This took place in our school’s auditorium. These students went on stage and performed in what is called mass orchestra. They gathered on stage and played in unison. There were times where the middle and high schoolers played together to show the elementary school kids their skill. String day also served as a “recruitment tool” for middle schoolers and elementary schoolers. To show them that they can do orchestra all the way from elementary school to high school.
The middle school and elementary school string orchestra teachers also came and presented their students. Miss Twentey, the conductor and instructor of our high school string orchestra students was there as well. She states that the songs that were being played were songs that the students already knew or songs that they performed in previous concerts. They also had to sight read the songs from the middle schoolers and high schoolers, which was new for them.
Their favorite thing about this event is hearing the progression of musical improvement from where they started in elementary school to where they are right now and hearing the dramatic difference. It was nice for the high schoolers to see the same teacher that taught them in elementary school and vice versa. That same teacher seeing how far they have come from as said by one of the teachers “where they only knew five notes to where they now know multiple octaves.”
The goal is to show the younger students that yes, they can be in orchestra and manage school and other things outside of school at the same time. As Miss Twentey hears and sees the underclassmen playing their music, when asked what she sees for the future of the string orchestra students, she says that during and a little bit after covid, the number of people joining decreased compared to previous years. But in the future, hopefully it will be way different. She sees the orchestra group growing. She sees them doing stuff like going on more trips and doing more activities. There is a bright path for our future Bel Air High School string orchestra, and they are hoping to continue to help the group grow and flourish in music.