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Violins and Lightsabers: Third-graders review
the symphony
Lexington Minuteman, Thursday Feb 05, 2009
On Jan. 14, the Lexington Symphony presented a special day-time concert
at Cary Hall for all third-grade students from the Lexington Public
Schools.
A quartet of Symphony members visited each elementary school in advance
to introduce the kids to an up-close look at the string, woodwind and
brass families of instruments. The grand performance at Cary Hall was
led by Lexington Symphony’s conductor Jonathan McPhee, who received a
Gabriel Award for his work on WCRB’s “Kids’ Classical Hour.”
The program, called “Orchestrating Kids through Classics,” was funded by
a grant from the Lexington Education Foundation (LEF), with supporting
grants from FOLMADS (Friends of Lexington Music, Art and Drama Students)
and Target.
Beginning with plainsong chant and ending with Star Wars, the audience
took a “tour” of the orchestra through time. Along the way, they enjoyed
some unusual flourishes, from costumed monks to a cell phone ring tone
that introduced Beethoven’s 5th Symphony.
Sixth-grade violinist Yuki Beppu from Diamond Middle School performed
part of a Mozart violin concerto dressed as the composer himself.
Many of the students wrote reviews of the concert. Some were inspired to
write poetry, and others drew pictures. Here’s a sampling of their work.
From Mrs. Bean’s class at Bridge School
Today, I saw a fantastic orchestra. My favorite part was when they
played the Star Wars music. I loved EVERYTHING!!! It was terrific.
Totally remarkable. P-H-E-N-O-M-E-N-A-L.
— Rajeev
When I went to see the Lexington Symphony Orchestra I thought it was
terrific! When they played the Star Wars music I thought it was
fantastic! I never knew that the Star Wars music played with so many
instruments. I thought it was extremely thoughtful when they told us
about the musicians. I also thought it was nice when they told us about
the instruments. I thought it was interesting when they told us about
soloists. They did a great job. That is what I thought when I went to
see the Lexington Symphony Orchestra.
— Odysseas
The Symphony Orchestra was a great performance. I bet each and every one
of them practiced for years and all that work paid off. My favorite
thing in the 6th grade soloist from Fiske when she played the violin. My
favorite instrument in the orchestra was the violin. I liked how the
music went from past to present. The longest piece of music was the Star
Wars theme song. It seemed like ten whole minutes. I wish I could see it
again. It was a great performance!
— Alexis
The Lexington Symphony Orchestra was fantastic! They played Star Wars.
Someone from the orchestra dressed up like Darth Vader and walked
around. It was amazing how all the third grades in Lexington were quiet
at the same time. It was wonderful when the orchestra showed us their
instruments. The composer went through the history of music. He talked
about Beethoven and Mozart. A girl in 6th grade that played the violin
palyed soloist.
— Emil
I was amazed at how good the orchestra was. They gave us a music time
line and played Star Wars perfectly. They had great comedy. They even
had a 6th grade violinist put on a wig and do a solo pretending to be
Mozart. What fascinated me was the instruments. They were very loud.
They must have spent ages working on their skills. Overall I loved the
Lexington Symphony Orchestra.
— Brendan Gillis
I was amazed at how well all you great instrumentalists played. I
enjoyed the music as well as learning about composers from the past. You
guys did a really good job teaching in a fun and exciting way. The 6th
grade soloist was extraordinary. Now I really want to play the violin
next year. I can’t wait to go to my next concert. Keep up all the good
work!
— Manu
The Lexington Symphony Orchestra was wonderful. The music was beautiful,
and I really enjoyed it. I especially loved the Star Wars music. It
sounded like they did the music for Star Wars, except better. The 6th
grade soloist was amazing. I didn’t know that a 6th grader could
actually do that! It was hilarious when she dressed as Mozart, and wore
a wig. That was about the silliest part. The conductor was smart. He
knew a lot about historical musicians from a long time ago. Someday, I
want to be a musician and be in a symphony orchestra.
— Phoebe Kim
The Lexington Symphony Orchestra is one of the best orchestras! The
whole orchestra played beautifully. I liked the magnificent music played
by the 6th grader. It was awesome when we got introduced to the
composers. I knew most of them. Also, the building of the orchestra from
monks to simple instruments, to wind, to string, to brass, etc. It was
really funny to see “Darth Vader” appear. I couldn’t believe there were
so many parts to the Star Wars theme song! You could tell “Darth Vader”
really was a man because he was wearing a suit. You could also see his
hair.
— Andrew Li
Ms. Doyle’s class at Harrington
I think the Lexington Symphony was brilliant! When they started playing,
the song was from Star Wars. It was cool how they started from back in
time, to now in 2009. I learned a lot about not just instruments, but
also about the composers who wrote the music for them. I liked the part
when the girl from Diamond School dressed up like Mozart and played the
violin. When the Symphony played a part of Haydn’s music it made me jump
when they played the surprise. Those are all the things that the
Lexington Symphony did to make me think they were brilliant.
—Lizzie Clackson
From Ms. Forrest’s class at Fiske
Today, the Third Graders of Fiske, Estabrook, Hastings, Harrington,
Bridge, Bowman and Waldorf schools went to see the Lexington Symphony
Orchestra in Cary Hall. Once they arrived and settled down, the
conductor explained how Western music turned into what it is now. First,
all music was monks chanting, nothing else! Then, recorders and small
drums came. Finally classical symphony arrived. They played Bach, then
Haydn. For Haydn, they played a fun song called “Surprise Symphony.” It
sure had a surprise! After Haydn, they played Mozart. For that, a sixth
grade girl who used to go to my school, Fiske, played too. Then, they
played Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, which was very good. After him, they
played Tchaikovsky, the composer of the Nutcracker Ballet. Then, they
played Stravinsky. The conductor said that when Stravinsky first
presented his piece, everyone left! But he kept playing it for the next
6 years, and people started to stay there because they had gotten used
to it. And last, they played Star Wars. I thought it was cool that music
started off with monks chanting, then recorders, then slowly all these
other instruments came. I also noticed that as more instruments came
into the classical symphony, the music became more colorful to the ear
(so you hear more colorful sounds). That field trip was really fun, so
come on over to see the Lexington Symphony Orchestra! THE END!!
— Mona Tavangar
In the old times there were lots of composers, such as Bach, Haydn,
Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, and John Williams. All of
these composers created wonderful and inspiring music. As we all know
music is an inspiring art. Yesterday me and my class went to the
Lexington Symphony. I had a wonderful time at the symphony. There were
violins, cellos, oboes, tubas, clarinets, French horns, flutes, double
basses, trumpets, and saxophones. They played the “Star Wars” theme song
as one of the songs. One of the other songs was called the “Surprise
Symphony”. These songs would have never been alive if all those
wonderful composers hadn’t taught music to the rest of the world. The
conductor’s name was McPhee. When he waved his arms in the air, the
orchestra would play softly, and when he waved his arms higher in the
air the orchestra would play louder. It was fun to see the conductor
conduct and follow along. There was a girl named Yuki Beppu who played
the violin. She dressed like Mozart. I felt like the orchestra and Yuki
Beppu put in their best effort and inspired everyone that day. This
experience was at Cary Hall. We all had a great memorable experience.
— Sanjna Das
From Mr. Heeden’s class at Fiske
If I were a music critic and I went to the Lexington Symphony I’d say
their performance was amazing, great, awesome and I’d love to go again.
My favorite part was the end when they played Star Wars. When they
Boom!! the music was so loud but beautiful. I never had imagined
anything like it. And another good part was kind of scary when people in
brown coats came out from the side. So if I were a critic ... I’d give
this Symphony 100 percent.
— Dan Bathon
From Ms. Klein’s class at Fiske
Today every third grade in Lexington went to see the Lexington Symphony
Orchestra play! It was spectacular! Wonderful! During that time, I
learned that Mozart never drafted his pieces. He just thought of them
and wrote them down. I learned that Haydn wrote a farewell symphony so
the king would give him and the musicians a raise, where one by one the
musicians would leave. I also learned that the first music started in
churches, sung by monks. But they weren’t allowed to sing all notes.
There were perfect notes, which were the good notes, and imperfect
notes, which were the bad notes, that were never to be sung. When the
musicians played a piece by Mozart, Yuki Beppu (who last year went to
Fiske) came in dressed as Mozart and played a violin solo! She played
wonderfully! She played with the Lexington Symphony Orchestra, and she’s
only in sixth grade! Also at the beginning and end they played the Star
Wars theme song! When the conductor talked about Beethoven one of the
clarinet player’s phone rang with Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony as a
ringtone! I really liked the show and I would recommend seeing the
Symphony play!
— Lara Bursal
The orchestra on Wednesday was exciting because of many reasons. One
reason is because one song was very quiet with sudden burst of LOUD
music! Another thing is that the conductor was funny. Also people
demonstrated what the history of music by acting some characters and
playing with music. Some songs the orchestra played were put in Walt
Disney movies. The last song they played was Star Wars. It was exciting.
One composer, I think it was Strye-something [ed. - Stravinsky] composed
a song that was so weird that the first time it was played everyone
left! He played it for the next 6 years, and finally people started
staying. I give the orchestra five stars! * * * * *
— Hanna Tuomi
From Ms. Martin’s class at Harrington
When the show started it was like I never heard anything like it! It was
really cool. The Conductor, Jonathan McPhee, was telling us about the
music. It was like a music class! At the beginning it opened up as the
theme song of Star Wars. Then the orchestra all left and Mr. McPhee was
telling us about the instruments in the middle ages and monks came out
doing these cool chants. As time went on the music and instruments got
more complicated as for example the bagpipes [ed. bassoon?] and the
tuba. We heard songs from Mozart, Bach and my favorite, Beethoven. Then
they played Star Wars again at the end like the music we have today. It
was really good! I think it is the best show I have ever watched. All of
the 9-year-old boys like me really liked it, the whole class was silent
through the whole show! I’m looking forward to see if I can see it again
some day.
— Jay Jay Bologna
Thank you for inviting us to your concert. You played music from all
over time and they were all very interesting. Also there were lots of
instruments like violins, oboes, flutes, clarinets, kettle drums, and a
lot more. Not only did you have instruments and music, you talked about
Mozart, Beethoven, and other famous composers. One other thing you did
was that you had three monks sing for us, and somebody dressed as Darth
Vader walk across. The song I liked most at your concert program was the
last piece you did. It was all loud and soft with lots of instruments. I
wouldn’t like to be in a big concert like that because of a little
stagefright but I’d love to hear some more music. I think I might be a
lot more interested in playing my piano and playing my recorder more
often. This is my review.
— Evan Fang
Today I went on a field trip to see the symphony perform at Cary Hall.
It started with the whole orchestra playing together. Then the musicians
left the stage except for different kinds of recorders and a very little
drum. It was great to see the different kinds of recorders because I
play one in school. The conductor started telling the timeline of music
adding on instruments as they were invented. They played Star Wars music
which I thought was awesome to hear and see the orchestra play. I
thought it was funny that they had someone dressed like Darth Vader walk
by the stage. I like that they included Yuki from middle school. She’s a
great violin player. The performance was especially interesting for me
since they told the history of music and I got to see and hear the
music.
— Meret London-MacFadyen
A symphony QuickWrite from Mrs. McAlduff’s
class at Bridge School
The Symphony was great, because of the Star Wars theme song. I liked the
tuba a lot because it’s really…Big! And I liked the joke. It was funny.
I like the conductor a lot!!!!!
— Jonathan
My favorite piece was Star Wars because I knew it! I also liked the
other parts. My favorite instrument was the tuba because it makes me
feel excited. I also liked the drums for the same reason. One thing I
learned was about the history of instruments and composers. I would like
to go again.
— Carey
It felt awesome to be at the Symphony! I really liked listening to the
symphony, and all of the other pieces. My favorite piece was Star Wars!
I liked the violin the most. I would love to go to the Symphony again,
many times too! I think I learned a lot there.
— Giulio
I liked listening to the pieces. My favorite part was Star Wars! I liked
hearing the tuba and wind instruments. I would LOVE to go again. It was
also fun to see kids from other schools.
— Noam
I felt thankful for Mrs. Bean, and Ms. Side for helping with the trip.
My favorite piece was Star Wars. I liked listening because they
separated the songs by composer. I liked the different pieces. I would
love to go back.
— Kevin
From Ms. Peterson’s class at Harrington
In the symphony orchestra I heard the Star Wars theme song from the
episode “The Emperor Strikes Back” and Beethoven’s Fifth symphony. They
both sounded beautiful. Also, I liked the Star Wars song. I heard Mozart
and I was surprised because the music started with high notes to low
notes and repeated. I saw a violin and a flute. Also I saw a
sixth-grader wearing a wig that looked like Mozart. She looked funny
playing the violin while the orchestra was playing Mozart. I saw a
clarinet and a French horn. I thought the symphony orchestra was
beautiful.
— Abigail Canton
From Mrs. Salamone’s class at Harrington
I really loved the performance! It was exciting when the drums played
loudly! I really l liked when they played Beethoven’s music. Now I want
to play the trumpet. Also, I want to play the oboe. My favorite songs
were the ones from episode IV in Star Wars. I totally loved their music!
— Michael Read
From Ms. Selhub’s class at Bowman
I think the music was wonderful, beautiful, and extraordinary. My
feelings were flowing with the music. It was like Cary Hall’s stage was
sparkling. My emotions were on stage too. The strongest emotion was in
front all the others were back. When I heard that I was going to an
orchestra, I felt like shouting with joy! It felt like angels were
there. Anyone who was deaf would be healed there also (well … in some
parts). I felt excited when I heard Star Wars, Farewell Symphony, and
Surprise Symphony. Not even in a million (or more) years would I not
like it! I was also inspired by the sixth-grade girl. It was one of the
best places I’ve seen. I hope I’ll see it again.
— Alia Rizvi
Clatter, clatter, clatter clatter.
I hear some fantastic instruments chatter.
Trombone, tuba, violin and others.
I looked at them, they look shinier.
I looked at the tuba, they look shiny and gold
Some other instruments looked burgundy.
It was the best day ever than I thought.
— Harini
Music
What’s that sound that I hear that brings joy and cheer?
Every instrument dances in my mind. And there are colors
Of every kind. The colors are the moods. That are foods.
That feed the audience life, sound, and something
I might call spirit. Can’t you hear it.
Music
— Avery Gehring
Today, we went to watch the “Lexington Symphony Orchestra” play in the
Cary Hall. I was very very impressed how they never made a mistake. I
was also glad when I saw Liz, BJ, Jobi, and Bill, who came to our school
to give us some ideas about the performance. The performance was mostly
about six famous composers – Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven,
Tchaikovsky, and Stravinsky, and how they added new instruments and how
they had their own “styles” of music. Also, the orchestra played some of
the most known compositions from the composers. In my opinion, I like
Haydn’s the best because the beat of the song was low then high. He also
plays many tricks on the audience. My favorite instrument was a
clarinet, not just because I play that, but that the sound was just
fantastic. It is like violin and oboe mixed together. The conductor, Joe
McPhill (I think) was like the storyteller. You want the bottom line?:
Very instructive, fun, and easy to learn.
— Jimin Han
From Mrs. Weeks’ class at Bowman
All the third graders in Lexington came to Cary Hall to listen to the
Lexington Symphony Orchestra. First they did the whole orchestra then
did it by century. The monks came walking through the aisles singing
religious songs. The main instrument was the violin. Then they kept on
adding instruments. They played music from composers like Beethoven,
Mozart, and Bach. There was also a surprise music where it was quiet
then it went Boom! Then they did concerto with a sixth-grade girl who
was dressed up like Mozart. Then they played Star Wars and Darth Vader
came walking through. It was loud because I was in the front. I had a
great time! The end.
— Jake Kanef
Today all the third grades in Lexington went to Cary Hall to listen to
the Lexington Symphony Orchestra. When we arrived at Cary Hall, we saw a
huge symphony sitting in front of us. All around the stage were children
from the six elementary schools. I was lucky because I got one of the
front row seats. Not long after the orchestra started. First they
started with the Star Wars theme song. Then came the surprising part —
they all left! The conductor of orchestra told us about the history of
music. He told us that music had started in the churches. While he was
talking about churches some monks came in singing religious songs! The
orchestra played a few of Beethoven’s songs. After that a very talented
violinist from Diamond came and played for us! They ended with the Star
Wars theme song. I wish I could go to the orchestra again!
— Arushi Balchandru
The first thing I liked about the Lexington Symphony Orchestra at Cary
Hall was the Star Wars Theme Song at the start and mostly the one at the
end because before it started, someone dressed as Darth Vader walked by.
Then there was Haydn’s Surprise Symphony that kind of startled me each
time they played the surprise note. Also I liked Beethoven’s Symphony
Orchestra number 5, especially the ring tone part! And the last one I
really liked was the sixth-grader violinist that was wearing a wig to
look like Mozart! If it’s possible, I’d love to go there again!
— Brandon Farino
The Lexington Symphony is the best orchestra I have ever heard. When
they played the Star Wars theme it sounded like the movie! Right before
the song Darth Vader walked out! One of the other surprises was a
sixth-grader coming out to play Mozart while wearing a wig that looks
like Mozart’s hair. Some of the composers they taught us about were
Haydn, Bach, Beethoven and Mozart just to name a few. One of the things
I liked most was how they taught us about the evolution of musical
instruments. That’s why I like the Lexington Symphony Orchestra.
— Maya Mudgal
The Lexington third graders went on a field trip to the Lexington
Symphony Orchestra on 1/14/09. It was at Cary Hall. The conductor
Micetro McFee [ed. Maestro McPhee] told us about the evolution of music,
from singing in church to detailed music from John Williams. Hello all
you Star Wars fans! A young, very, very, talented violinist also played
one piece dressed up as Mozart. They started out playing the opening bar
lines of the Star Wars theme song, and then everyone left. Then the
conductor told us about the evolution of music from the monks, to
Mozart, to John Williams. Yes Star Wars fans, John Williams. They played
music from all those times too. An orchestra member had a Beethoven’s
5th Symphony cell phone ringer. At last they played some Star Wars
songs, including the whole theme. It was AWESOME! You should have been
there!
— Trevor James
Today the whole third grade from six schools went to the Lexington
Symphony Orchestra. At the beginning, they played some short songs.
Then, Conductor McPhee talked to us about the evolution of music. He
said that music began in churches. As he was saying that, some people
dressed as monks came into the room, singing songs from books. Conductor
McPhee talked about Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and Tchaikovsky. At the
end, they played the whole Star Wars theme song (I thought that was the
coolest part), and after that people clapped for something like five
minutes. I thought that the orchestra was really good. If I could go
there again, I definitely would.
— Ethan Kleppner
From Mr. Wilde’s class at Fiske
On Jan. 14, the third graders of Lexington went to the Lexington
Symphony at Cary Hall. First they played Star Wars and that caught my
attention with the loud and strong music. Next they got off the stage
and five people played western music. It started out simple and then it
got more “colorful”. The conductor took us back in time with Mozart,
Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and other composers. Then Yuki Beppu played a
solo by Mozart. She wore a Mozart wig too. She went to school at Fiske
and now she is a sixth grader at Diamond Middle School. They introduced
us to different sections of the orchestra. Some are brass, woodwind,
strings, and percussion. After that they played a song that’s very quiet
at the beginning and it graduately gets louder. Finally they played Star
Wars again at the end, everybody clapped and we left Cary Hall. It was
fun watching the orchestra play!
— Kara Xie
On Wednesday my class went to the Lexington Symphony. I liked how the
players showed history by different instruments and songs at a certain
time. The musicians were flawless. I also liked the monks at the
beginning. I thought some of the instruments were very creative. It was
almost like a history lesson. Yuki Beppu was amazing! She was at my
school too. There she was amazing too! In the Star Wars song I liked
when Darth Vader walked on the stage. The seats were good too. Some of
the symphonies were interesting like the “Surprise Symphony” and
“Farewell” one. I can say it was perfect.
— Dylan Pentland
On Wednesday all the third graders in Lexington went to the Lexington
Symphony in Cary Hall. At the beginning of the show the loud Star Wars
theme really got my attention, but then some of the musicians left the
stage and the conductor took us back in time. I thought it was cool the
way they had monks come singing down the aisle, then minstrels, then
more and more instruments were added. It was so awesome when a sixth
grader (Yuki) came and played a solo! It was also cool when Darth Vader
walked through the aisle. It made me feel like I was with the volcanos
and dinosaurs when they played like volcanos and dinosaurs [excerpt from
Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring]. I almost jumped out of my seat when we
heard the “Surprise” Symphony! I really enjoyed the symphony!
— Niki Harris
On January 14, 2009 all the third graders in Lexington went to Cary Hall
to see the Lexington Symphony. If I was going to rate the performance as
5 is the best and 0 is the worst I would give it * * * * * stars! At the
beginning they were practicing. Then they started to play the opening
song of Star Wars. Next most players left the stage and took us back in
time and told us the steps when the instruments were made. Last they
played Star Wars again. They played the best music I ever heard!!
— Nathaniel Keyes
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