Getting Better Every Year
Above: A BIT OF EVERYTHING: (from left to right) Clarke Central High School orchestra students Andreas Dillies and Justin Lee, sophomores, practice for CCHS’s annual Large Group Performance Evaluation on Feb. 13 in Room 251. LGPE, sponsored by The Georgia Music Educators Association, will take place in the Mell Auditorium on March 18, where each orchestra class will receive an evaluation from select judges based on a variety of performances. “We usually try to do one (song) that's Baroque slash classical, another one that's classical/romantic,” Eunice Kang said. “And then, the third one is usually a contemporary/showstopper, so it would be the finale piece that is the most show-offy and usually involves fast excitement.” Photo by Olivia Hendershot
CCHS orchestra classes will perform during the Large Group Performance Evaluation on March 18, where they will be graded on their ability to perform and understand music composition.
Clarke Central High School orchestra classes will participate in the Large Group Performance Evaluation on March 18 in the Mell Auditorium. Each class will have the opportunity to play several pieces conducted by fine arts department co-chair and orchestra sponsor, Dr. Eunice Kang.
“(LGPE) used to be called ‘Festival’, but really the whole objective is to give all of the ensembles a performance objective with clear-cut scoring, rubric and technique to work on intonation, rhythm, expressive qualities and the student's level of performance every year,” Kang said.
Each orchestra class will start its performance with three songs ranging in style and genre, then move into the sight-reading portion, which Kang will also lead. Third-level orchestra student Justin Lee, a sophomore at CCHS, feels confident about the upcoming event.
“The pieces (this year) are definitely a bit harder, just because I'm in a more advanced class, but I think as long as (we) practice diligently, I think we'll be fine,” Lee said.
Before the sight reading performance, students will have the opportunity to study the required music piece while advised by Kang.
“The kids get a new piece of music (that) they turn over and (are given) a set time (to study). They study with the conductor, which is me,” Kang said. “(I) will talk to them about it, give them pointers, try to go over the difficult parts (and) point out what they should look for. (We then) perform the whole piece for the judge,”
Kang has taught orchestra at CCHS for 20 years and, through experience with such competitions, strives to fuel positivity in her students leading up to them.
“I have (lead) it for so long that I understand the objectives and what to emphasize to the students. It's not to be perfect, it's to strive for improvement,” Kang said. “Don't settle for just halfway or mediocre efforts.”
Story by Olivia Hendershot
Olivia Hendershot is a senior at Clarke Central High School in Athens, Georgia. She serves as the Editor-in-Chief for the iliad literary-art magazine. Hendershot hopes to expand iliads outreach as well as make positive improvements to the program. In her free time, she likes listening to music, sketching/painting and hanging out with friends.