Whenever I mention our awesome upcoming summer strings program to my wife, she is always quick to remind me of her seven years in her school’s orchestra program. She first picked up the viola in third grade, a choice made for her because there were already too many students who wanted to learn the violin. At the time, she was disappointed, but the viola ended up being the perfect fit for her.
Now, my wife is a hard worker, but the viola never came easy to her. She worked her way through middle school to earn a good chair and participated in a few New York State orchestra competitions. But if you ask her today what her favorite memory of orchestra is, she will fondly recall the lessons she spent watching the first chair violinist.
“She was incredible,” my wife says. “She was extremely talented, and our teacher always swooned over her form, fundamentals, and work ethic. We all loved sitting back and watching her play.” During their time in orchestra, their conductor taught them many pieces, most of which were classical string arrangements. The first chair violinist was often featured in these pieces, which my wife absolutely loved. It was like having a professional musician just feet away from here on the stage.
There’s one performance that stands out the most to my wife. Their conductor was hoping to push a few classical boundaries and try something new and exciting. For their winter concert, they learned “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin. The conductor got his hands on en electric violin and, as my wife recalls, they completely transformed their classical strings sound to some serious rock and roll.
Our School
Violin, viola, cello and double bass students from Wheaton, Carol Stream, Glen Ellyn, Lombard, Lisle, West Chicago, Naperville and the other suburbs DuPage county are invited to join us for some seriously versatile music this summer! Our incredibly skilled instructors want to teach you how to play anything from Handel to Led Zep. Call 630-359-7725 or email admin@jeschoolofmusic.com to sign up for an introductory lesson today!
