by Caylee Courtright

It’s that time of year again when the Oceanside Symphonic program makes it yearly trip to the Oceanside middle school and elementary schools to encourage them to continue playing their instruments. The trip took place before February break. It’s always exciting to get to see the students who are interested in what’s to come in their musical career. The middle schoolers are on their way to becoming high schoolers, which is also exciting.

First, we made our way to the middle school. At OMS, we were paired with a middle schooler who could ask us questions about the music programs. They also listened to us play “Colors of the Wind” from Pocahontas. The middle schoolers had the opportunity to ask questions about what the high school offers and how they can become better musicians. We told them about Band, Chorus, and Orchestra. We also talked to them about Jazz Band, Swing Choir, Chamber Orchestra and the marching band, which are fun musical extracurriculars that students can participate in in order to expand their musical horizons and abilities. Jazz Band and Swing Choir delve into different styles of music – ones that some students may usually not have the chance to play. Chamber orchestra delves into harder, more intense pieces of music, ones that students aren’t exposed to all the time.

Later on, the Symphonic Program had the pleasure of performing for some of the elementary schoolers who were really excited to hear the orchestra’s rendition of songs from Aladdin, as well as the Band’s performance of The Family Guy theme. It was really great to be able to talk to them. The students really seemed to enjoy watching us perform.

Afterwards, we went to IHOP, where we had the pleasure of getting a menu catered to the students, and we were able to sit down and chat with friends while we ate. It was a fun addition to the trip! We then went to school 3 and performed for those elementary students – it was a throwback for those of us high schoolers who actually went to School #3. Some students even got to see some old teachers – ones who inspired their paths to be in orchestra, band, or concert. 

The trip was an absolute success! As a member of the Symphonic Orchestra, it was a pleasure to go back to our musical roots and realize how much we’ve grown as musicians over the years.