By Crystal Hayduk
Almost 100 students filled the auditorium of Chelsea High School with the sound of music during the concert following an all-day Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association (MSBOA) String Clinic on Oct. 18.
For the fourth time in 11 years, the clinic was hosted by Nathan Peters and organized by Jed Fritzemeier, Chelsea School District’s orchestra directors. Students from five other schools partnered with Chelsea for the event, including Dexter, Clawson, Midland, Monroe, and Pinckney.
Students in 7th-9th grade exchanged a Saturday for the opportunity to learn from guest teachers in the morning, followed by full rehearsals led by guest conductors from the west side of the state.
The day ended with a concert performance for family and friends.
Orchestra A, made up of 8th and 9th graders, performed “Kilimanjaro” by Alan Lee Silva and “Dance of the Tumblers” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov from the classic opera “The Snow Maiden.”
Dan Scott, orchestra director in Jenison, a suburb of Grand Rapids who conducted Orchestra A, said this following the event: “All of the students who participated in the MSBOA String Clinic were exemplary throughout the day. Students were excellent throughout the rehearsals and demonstrated their excellence in the afternoon concert. Both parents and teachers should be proud of their orchestra students.”
Orchestra B, which consisted of 7th-grade students, performed “Sahara Crossing” by Richard Meyer and “Epic,” a new concert piece by Larry Clark.
Melissa Meyers, who conducted Orchestra B and hails from Grand Haven, said that each school’s music directors “… get the kids fired up and ready for this day. They learn that in making music, they are telling a story, not just playing notes on a page; and they work together as a group.”
Peters, Beach Middle School orchestra teacher, said that he was proud of the students for spending a full Saturday on their music. “I was happy that the students worked well with each other and the guest conductors. They played their best at the concert for the parents, which was great.”
