More than 300 music students from across the region had the opportunity to get their groove on at a unique event in Orillia on Friday.
For the second straight year, Orillia Secondary School (OSS) hosted a one-day Beginning Band Symposium.
“Last year, we invited Grade 9 music students from several schools across the region to participate, and we really had a great day," said OSS music teacher Laura Lee Matthie.
"This year, we invited Grade 9 music students from every school in the county, and we also offered an opportunity for older students to come as mentors. We have a record 300 students participating in this symposium this year, from five schools: Bear Creek, Collingwood, Midland, Nantyr Shores, and OSS," she explained.
Matthie said the day was conceived of and executed by several music teachers from the Simcoe County School Board.
Students had a morning of working with one of the 10 music teachers who participated in the symposium in small and medium sized groups, at OSS and Emmanuel Baptist Church, just down the road from the school. They also had breakout groups with the mentors to work on individual parts.
In the afternoon, all of the beginner students had the chance to play in a mass band under the direction of retired Markham High School music teacher Mark Caswell, who is an active conductor, clinician and adjudicator across Ontario.
“We wanted to give beginning music students the opportunity to learn, to meet other students, to see that there are lots of students playing their instruments, not just their classmates,” Matthie expanded.
Music teacher Danny Vaz, from Nantyr Shores Secondary School, was happy students from the Innisfil school could participate in Friday's event.
“It’s an amazing opportunity for both the beginners and the mentors," said Vaz. "We have 50 students participating this year, a full bus. Last year was so amazing, we knew we wanted to do it again. And, some of the students who participated as beginners last year got to come back this year as mentors, and remember how they felt, how it felt to be in those beginner shoes.”
Vaz said it was good for students to see beyond their classrooms.
“Like in a class there may be two of you playing the same instrument. Here, there's 40 clarinets, there's 30 flutes. You're like, ‘Oh, there's other people. I'm not scared anymore. I've gotten a little bit of confidence. We're all doing the thing!’ It makes a huge difference for them.”
As well as helping the beginners, mentors got the opportunity to work on some sight reading of their own during the day.
OSS music students Matt Strachan and Lexie Cichelly both play the clarinet and attended the day as mentors.
“I participated last year as a beginner, because I didn’t start until Grade 10," said Cichelly, a Grade 11 student. "So, it’s very interesting to see them this year, and remember being there last year. You can hear them improve.”
Strachan, a Grade 12 student at OSS, said he could see the students' improvement over the course of the day.
“At the beginning of the day, they were all squeaking and puffing out their cheeks. Now, they play with good tone,” he said.
Collingwood Collegiate Institute Grade 9 student Isabella Zwicker had a fun day.
“It’s my first year playing flute, it’s fun to be with other players and play in a big band,” she said. “We only have four flutes in my class so it’s nice to play with a lot of them.”
Conductor Mark Caswell said he enjoyed his day with the students.
“It’s hectic, sure, and a bit chaotic, but those teachers know what they are doing, they worked hard to make this all happen,” he said. “It’s worth it for so many reasons, both musically and otherwise."
He said opportunities such as the symposium were not available during the pandemic.
"This is an opportunity for them all to be social, to see there are others that are doing the same thing as them, to be part of the music community," said Caswell. "Sure, we work on the two pieces the teachers have chosen, and this year we will do a short sight-reading exercise, but it’s about much more than just learning the music.”
Events like this help the students realize they are part of something bigger.
“It’s about learning that they can be part of something bigger, and how incredibly rewarding that is. And it’s rewarding for me, and for their teachers, to see them getting that," said Caswell. "Building that mentorship aspect is wonderful, too, for both mentor and beginner. That builds community, too. It’s a great day.”
