I went to my kid’s eighth grade winter concert tonight. It was really good. And it was only the eighth grade, so the whole thing took about an hour.
It started with the band. They played Dominion, Forge of the Vulcan, and March to Castle Rock. They sounded good. As my grandmother used to say, they all started at the same time and ended at the same time. That may not sound like the compliment that it is. Rhythmically, they were pretty tight. That’s the most important piece of sounding good as a unit.
Next came the main event, the orchestra. They played A Little Mischief Music, Air, and Hunting the Wild Beast. My kid plays the bass, so I’m a little biased, but I thought they were the best ensemble of the night. They were solid rhythmically and they actually tuned before they started. It was nice to see. And I could hear the basses. I really can tell that my kid played well.
Finally, they had the choir. They sang Wangolo which is a Haitian folk song. They also played How Like a Winter, How Can I Keep from Singing?, A Millennial Holiday Song, and New Year Blessing. A Millennial Holiday Song was really cute. It was all about spending screen time together. The kids even got to use their phones as props.
One thing I noticed is that all three ensembles are about the same now when it comes to intonation. When they first started playing, in fourth grade, the choir was noticeably more in tune than the band which was noticeably more in tune than the orchestra. That’s not a knock on the kids in the band or orchestra, it’s just easier to be in tune singing and harder to be in tune on a stringed instrument.
They are getting better every time I hear them play. I’m looking forward to the Spring Concert.
