The school’s Philharmonic orchestra and Wind ensemble are preparing Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, composed by Leonard Bernstein, for the upcoming spring concert and Busch Gardens trip. The piece spans 845 measures, featuring specific patterns of rhythm and arrangements of notes. Rehearsals are taking place separately under orchestra teacher Carolyn Herman and band director Susan Eckerle before the combination of both ensembles.
The piece was selected as an end-of-year performance. Herman and Eckerle chose the work to introduce students to music they had not previously performed. “Dr. Eckerle and I decided to choose a piece for the end of the year that was exciting and different so that it is a challenge but also fun,” Herman said.
Rehearsals are currently divided between orchestra and band periods. Additional rehearsals outside of class are planned to prepare for a combined performance. “We are planning after-school and possibly lunch rehearsals so we can put everything together before AP testing begins,” Herman said.
Students in the orchestra describe the piece as technically challenging. Junior violinist Charissa Kim said preparation has required focused practice on rhythm. “The piece is difficult, but if the orchestra puts in the effort and time, it can sound good; I practiced over spring break with a metronome and listened in class to understand how the parts fit together,” Kim said.
Kim said that the skills needed for mastering timing and coordination are demanding during rehearsals. “The biggest challenge was coming in at the right time because sometimes I did not count correctly and had trouble looking up to follow the conductor,” Kim said.
Additionally, band students are also working through the piece. Sophomore tuba player Xavier Karyadi described how the separation of ensembles affects preparation. “The greatest difficulty associated with full orchestra pieces like West Side Story has to do with the structure of music classes at Wootton; there is no single combined string and wind instrument class, so it is very difficult to know how your parts work with those of the string instruments and that interplay requires the most rehearsal,” Karyadi said.
Limited combined rehearsals create additional challenges for students. Students say there isn’t enough time to fully grasp the piece. “We only have a handful of rehearsals as a combined group so it will be very challenging to get everything working together in such a short amount of time,” Karyadi said.
Preparation is divided between individual practice and group sectionals. Wind players focus on certain passages assigned to their instruments. “Since each instrument section divides up which portions they play, it only takes a little practice at home to get the hard sections down,” Karyadi said.
Student-organized sectionals provide additional rehearsal time. These take place during advisory, lunch or after school. “Instrument sections organize sectionals before, during or after school so we can go over difficult excerpts together, not to mention there’s a tuba sectional tomorrow,” Karyadi said.
Rehearsals also include preparation for other performances scheduled later in the season. These events are ones that bring together students from different ensembles. “Rehearsals usually involve practicing pieces for the spring concert along with pieces for Musics in the Parks, which includes members from all three bands combining to perform,” Karyadi said.
Students are still preparing the piece during regular class periods. The final combined rehearsals will align the orchestra and wind ensemble before the concerts. Herman said she hopes the students and staff enjoy the spring concert and that the students have fun in Busch Gardens.
