Martin High School Symphony Orchestra Practicing

Practicing Makes a Difference, Not Perfection For many students, summer is not the most productive time of year. It is our big break from education, stress, and school related activities. We are free of due dates and responsibilities, or so we think. I am a member of the Martin High School Symphony Orchestra. We, as musicians, are responsible for maintaining our ability to play at a consistent, near professional level. To accomplish this, we must practice. However, caught up in the excitement of my last high school summer, practicing my instrument was not as high on my priority list as it should have been. Having not been a member of this orchestra the previous year, I was unaware of the consequences I would face by not practicing and now wish that I had spent less time hibernating and more time whaling away on my cello. Practice is tedious work; sitting there with a tuner, tuning every single note measure by measure for as long as your fingers will last. It is not entertaining and requires a handful of patience. This is why most of the orchestra members have private lesson teachers. They are fantastic at getting you to practice as well as pros at making any spot in your music more enjoyable to play. One of my adjacent regrets was not hiring a teacher over the
I am honored to be given the opportunity to perform at this prestigious event with such a talented group of musicians. Unfortunately our director, Mr. Stringer, who made this dream possible, was offered a new job position and will not be conducting us at the festival. Receiving this news towards the beginning of the summer definitely affected my practicing. I was devastated to see him leave a program he worked so tirelessly to build. But the show must go on and I now practice more than ever to ensure that our ensemble serves his name