In the maroon and gold-painted gym, accented with a Raider Pride banner and other sports-related banners, High School Principal Joel Leer told the audience that the number of orchestra students has grown in the past two years. This year, it involves 271 students in grades 4-12.
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| Sebastian (viola, 7th grade) and his cousins Frances (violin, 4th grade) and Hannah (cello, 5th grade) pose after the concert. |
“It allows us to see exactly where students are and where they are headed as they move through the orchestra program,” he said.
I was glad to see such a strong display of support for these student musicians and directors Heather Olivier and Natalie Dimberg at this critical time, as the Northfield School Board considers proposed budget cuts for 2011-12. The school board had a public hearing last week and will decide at its April 11 meeting whether to approve the superintendent’s recommendation to retain elementary orchestra for next year. A vote to cut fourth and fifth grade orchestra for next year would essentially kill the entire program.
The orchestras displayed impressive technique as they performed songs that were challenging and entertaining. The sixth grade orchestra added some great sound effects to the “Addams Family Theme.” I enjoyed hearing Sebastian’s seventh grade orchestra play “All Star” from the Shrek movie, and it was fun to see members of the concert orchestra (the younger high school group) don sunglasses and bring out drums and an electric bass to play the “James Bond Theme.”
The concert concluded with a bang, as all 271 orchestra students played an excerpt from Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture.”
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