When I first began to play the violin, I was in third
grade. I liked the idea of playing an
instrument, but like most kids, I was forced to practice and I resented the
violin for that reason. In middle
school, I continued to play in our school’s orchestra at my parents request,
but freshman year, I was given the power to decide whether or not to continue
my musical education. Knowing that my
parents would be disappointed if I dropped, I unhappily signed up to join my
high school’s orchestra. It is here that
I began to look at music as the most beautiful art form of them all.
The high
school that I attended is known for it’s fantastic music program. Both the students and the teachers take the
art form very seriously, and everyone works hard to create a strong product. As a class requirement, all orchestra
students had to play in the pit in our high schools musical, and at first I was
not thrilled. It was going to be a huge
time commitment to attend multiple five-hour rehearsals and shows, especially
for someone who didn’t necessarily like theater or want to be a part of the
process.
When we
finally began to piece the show together though, I changed my mind completely. After running through the thick Broadway book
of Beauty and the Beast music for
weeks, I had a completely new appreciation for how much work goes into musical
performances. A show is a lot of work in
itself, but a musical is nothing without a strong orchestral pit. It was beautiful to see how a show could come
together just through the music that we created as one powerful orchestra. I now notice the importance of music
everywhere within the arts.
Even this
semester, I found myself still impacted by my time in the orchestra. When we went to see the performance of In the Red and Brown Water, I was so
intrigued by the drums. I felt that the
show wouldn’t have been the same without the tribal music. On my own, I attended a Penn State production
of The Producers, and I found myself
listening to the beauty of the pit more than anything. Even when I ventured to the State Theater for
the film festival, all I could think about was the perfect music selection in The Graduate.
Music is such a powerful division of art. It has the ability to make the listener feel emotion like no other, and it oftentimes pulls a piece of art, like a musical or a movie, together. I will forever be happy that I participated in the orchestra because I now view it as the most beautiful art that exists.
That is so awesome that your high school had such an incredible music program. I loved the videos you posted as well!
ReplyDeleteWow, I never knew you played the violin and had such an interest in music! I used to play in middle school, and also felt pushed my parents! I stopped in high school, and after reading this I wish I didn't. Maybe I would have appreciated it more like you!
ReplyDeleteThis is amazing! I've always wished I could be muscial. I really liked how you incorporated the videos in this post! :)
ReplyDeleteI also come from a school with a good music program. My father went to school in lampeter but took lessons from a man in lebanon and know that it does carry a heavy musical tradition.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the title of this post "For the Love of Music" :) because I love music and I also play an instrument, the guitar. I have been playing the guitar since I was in 5th grade. I like that you put videos in this post so that we, the readers, could listen to the orchestra. I think it's pretty cool that you play the violin. My roommate plays as well and I love listening to her play music on it. I agree with your statement about music being a powerful division of art and making the listener feel emotions. I witness this every time I perform in recitals at my music school and concerts throughout my town. Overall, I really liked this post. Good job!
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