In order to stay motivated and further expand their knowledge about being in orchestra, Souderton Area’s 9/10 orchestra traveled to see the Philadelphia Orchestra at The Kimmel Center on February 21.
Certain technical aspects were clear to students watching.
According to sophomore Ember Mitchell, the orchestra’s technique was most evident.
“Dynamic-wise [their technique] played a huge role in how they were playing,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell also noticed their bow directions were all in sync; none of them “went rogue.”
Mitchell said there is a deeper understanding while actively playing music,
“That’s amazing to see that it’s not just music. It’s more than music, “ Mitchell said. “They’re actually feeling the music, they’re moving with it, like it [music] makes them come alive.”
Freshman Elena Vesey took away a more uplifting aspect from seeing the performance.
“Everyone looked passionate in what they were doing, it was refreshing to see that they still enjoy playing,” Vesey said.
Vesey feels that no matter how much mastery you have, mistakes are always possible.
“Also just the human aspect of it,” Vesey said, “knowing that they’re a professional orchestra and still make mistakes is enlightening to see.”
For Vesey, realizing that no matter how good you can be at something does not mean you’re exempt from any faults.
“When you see it live, I like the little mess-ups; it makes it more real,” Vesey said.
Carlin feels satisfaction in regards to having the students resonate with the performance.
“I hope that they took away some kind of wow factor from the orchestra, and I think they did,” Carlin said.
According to Carlin, due to the engrossing repertoire chosen, all of the audience was impressed due to “funky” elements displayed.
Carlin believes the performance was moving to the students.
“It was a little bit of an inspiration boost,” Carlin said, “just to see the comparison of what you [orchestra students] could aspire to be.”
For Vesey, being capable of playing an instrument has allowed her to be more gratified by the performance.
“We can understand it better and take more appreciation out of it,” Vesey said. “It’s very obvious to me how outstanding these players are and how much they’ve worked towards it.”
According to Mitchell, hearing music live can feel exhilarating; you can “soak” it up more.
“A recording isn’t the same ambience and the same feeling as in the same room,” Mitchell said.
Due to the fact that orchestras do not have any lyrics, they must find other ways to make the audience understand the message of their pieces.
“Even though there’s no lyrics in an orchestra piece, there’s a storytelling arc in the music,” Carlin said, “but it’s that next level musicality.”
According to Carlin, it is more than just the instrument. It is about an impression of pride.
“[It is] a sense of invigoration for the next year,” Carlin said, “[It’s about thinking, ‘Oh, what’s next?’”