The Sierra Vista orchestra program offers a wonderful and inspiring musical experience for high school students. Under the direction of orchestra teacher, Ms. Johnson, the orchestra delivers amazing sounds from student musicians that have experience in playing string, woodwind, brass and percussion instruments. Although small, each orchestra produces a big sound that allows an audience to get swept away in a mental picture of sound.
Today, orchestra classes available for students to join include; advanced, intermediate, and chamber orchestra. However, Ms. Johnson plans to expand the music program to include beginning orchestras for students wanting to learn an instrument. Ms. Johnson dedicates her time to helping current and future orchestra students achieve their goals and making sure everyone holds an equal amount of importance in this team. Ms. Johnson conducts with the belief, ¨If you can play a string instrument well you can pretty much do anything you put your mind to.¨
Students learn through adversity while navigating their way to become young successful musicians. Orchestra students participate with Fortitude, Attitude, Integrity and Respect, otherwise known as ¨FAIR¨, Sierra Vista’s mission for students to foster life-long learning of academic, social, mental and emotional growth. Jade Lopez (9), an orchestra student at Sierra Vista believes in FAIR stating, ¨I connect with others when we practice amazing pieces or when we have similar experiences while playing a [musical] piece. I enjoy the music we get to learn to play and see the growth in my playing after practicing with Ms. Johnson.¨
Through every sound and movement that Ms. Johnson’s orchestra students learn, they find out something about themselves as well as the students they create music with. Orchestra takes a team of musicians to work together to create music in its purest form no matter how big or small that orchestra is. Very simply, being part of an orchestra can enrich a students life as well as bring a community together through a shared experience of sound.
