Episode 230: Not an Ordinary Elementary School Orchestra at Welby

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. Take one listen and you will quickly discover that this is not your ordinary elementary school orchestra…this one is extraordinary.

On this episode of the Supercast, we find out what makes the Welby Elementary School Orchestra so amazing with students playing and performing at very high levels. Listen in as we learn about the young orchestra members, their love for musical instruments, and making magical music.

Anna Edgell:
We're going to double-check our tuning with everyone. Chelsea, come on up. She's got our notes for us today. Play your A nice and loud. Everyone can hear.

Anna Edgell:
Okay, good. Let's hear your D.

Anna Edgell:
Okay, let's hear E.

Anna Edgell:
It's good. It sounds good. Energy.

Anna Edgell:
Very good. Sounds great. Can you max into a C for us?

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm here at Welby Elementary talking with four students in the orchestra program. Tell me your name and what instrument you play.

Barbara:
My name is Barbara and I play the viola.

Matteo:
My name is Matteo and I play the violin.

Chelsea:
My name is Chelsea and I play the violin.

Alexa:
My name is Alexa and I play the viola.

Anthony Godfrey:
What made you pick this particular instrument? What made you want to play the violin versus the viola versus the stand-up bass?

Barbara:
I just feel like the viola, like there are just a bunch of violins and I want to be like a little bit different, so I chose the viola.

Matteo:
I wanted to choose violin because I didn't have anything to do, and I just saw it and I wanted to play the smallest instrument.

Chelsea:
In my family, we have a tradition where we pass down old violins to our younger cousins or family. I love playing the violin and I love seeing people play the violin and I watch a ton of videos on it and I really wanted to be a violinist.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you've watched a lot of videos about it?

Chelsea:
Yeah, I've watched a ton of videos about it.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's awesome. Do you have a favorite violinist that you watch?

Chelsea:
Ray Chen.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, okay. Great. How about for you?

Alexa:
I want to play the viola because I thought that the viola was interesting. My parents didn't let me play the violin.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, okay. What made you want to be part of the orchestra program in the first place? You come early to school to be a part of this. Tell me what made you want to play an instrument here at Welby?

Barbara:
Because my family, all my family members except for my dad all play an instrument.

Anthony Godfrey:
What other instruments do members of your family play?

Barbara:
My mom, so everyone in my family used to play the cello but my brother. He quit very early playing the viola so I just wanted to do the viola.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.

Matteo:
The reason I wanted to join the Welby Orchestra is I felt I was capable of doing a lot more than just going to lessons. So I started doing orchestra in second grade and I've been playing for about two years now.

Anthony Godfrey:
Have you been taking lessons as well on the side?

Matteo:
Yes, I've been taking lessons for seven months now.

Anthony Godfrey:
And do you feel like when you practice by yourself it's different from getting to play with other people?

Matteo:
Yes, I feel a lot better when I'm doing stuff with other people.

Anthony Godfrey:
And it's fun. You get to make friends and feel a part of something. What about you?

Chelsea:
So I actually started this because I watched the Harry Potter play where they would like do the background music and I thought it was really cool so I wanted to join. At my old school I did it too, because I'm new here.

Anthony Godfrey:
And is that the musical or the play that...

Chelsea:
The musical.

Anthony Godfrey:
And that came out. Remind me what that's called.

Chelsea:
It's called the Harry...it's for like the background music for Harry Potter.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, so did you go see the movie with the symphony playing in the background?

Chelsea:
Yes. So I thought it was really cool if I did.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh wow, that's awesome.

Alexa:
I was just mainly really curious and I kind of needed a hobby to do. And then at the beginning of fourth grade I saw that orchestra was around so I tried orchestra to see what it was all about.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love that you guys have each found a different path that has brought you to this orchestra program. Tell me, what is it that you love about orchestra?

Barbara:
It’s that I get to play my favorite instrument.

Matteo:
Because I get to be around people and have some good times with some people and make new friends.

Chelsea:
So I can learn and play with my friends and show my family what I can do.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you said that you're new to the school so has this helped you make friends?

Chelsea:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
In fact, the friend that you're standing right next to.

Chelsea:
Yes.

Alexa:
I honestly, I just thought the music that they did was incredible so I wanted to try seeing what this music felt like. And I think it's really beautiful how the music turns out.

Anthony Godfrey:
What would you say to students who are thinking about maybe getting up early during the week and being part of an orchestra program? What would you suggest?

Barbara:
I'd probably sleep in early so you're not tired.

Anthony Godfrey:
Go to bed early so you can get up and be part of it.

Matteo:
I always wake up when it's super dark in the morning because I'm just like, "Oh, it's dark. It's the darkness that it usually is at 7am. Just go. Go downstairs. Have some breakfast."

Chelsea:
So usually I'm tired at the start so actually my friends cheer me up. So that's how I wake up.

Alexa:
I would probably tell them to start getting used to the schedule. Waking up early. You've got multiple concerts coming up and I would say it's a great choice for them to choose being an orchestra.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me, are the days when you have orchestra, does the rest of the day feel different than the days when you don't?

Alexa:
Just Tuesday and Thursday’s for advanced. Honestly, I think it's not really a big difference. You wake up a little earlier, you might feel a little bit different. Just basically waking up early and practicing.

Chelsea:
It's actually way different because if I'm at an orchestra, not a lot of friends cover me up. And then when I'm outside, they surround me so it's kind of different.

Matteo:
It only makes... Yeah, there's a big difference between Tuesday, Thursday, and Wednesday because on Tuesdays and Thursdays I cannot miss school. And I do not like missing school at all because I cannot leave my friends at all.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, you gotta be here. I love that.

Barbara:
I kind of have to be here all the time except for Fridays because my mom kind of works here. So it doesn't really feel that different but whenever we don't have orchestra, it feels very different. It kind of feels good.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, okay. What's next for you as a musician? Are you going to keep playing here? Do you want to keep playing in the middle school and high school? What's next?

Alexa:
I think I'll probably still, but I know the high school is at like 6am so I might start fading out. But maybe come back in college when it gets to high school because it's really early in high school. But I'll probably do the middle school.

Chelsea:
Yeah, I'm probably going to play for the rest of my years because I think violin really helps me with stuff.

Anthony Godfrey:
Awesome.

Matteo:
I'm going to try and play. I'm going to try. I really like to, like, I'm really going to try and play until I'm like, past college. I'm going to really try and play.

Barbara:
I would definitely keep on playing. I would, I don't know why, but I really love playing instruments. So I would play through like all the years.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love that. I love your enthusiasm and most people who have played an instrument and get to be my age wish they had kept playing that instrument. So I love that you guys are going to keep playing. I'm really proud of you guys and the work that you're putting into this. I'm excited for your enthusiasm. Keep playing and I can't wait to see your performances. See you guys. Thank you.

Anna Edgell:
Warm-up tempo. One, two, ready, go. Three, four, one, two, three, four.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back more music with the extraordinary Welby Orchestra.

Break:
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Anthony Godfrey:
We're here with Anna Edgell, the orchestra teacher from Welby Elementary. Thank you for letting us visit today.

Anna Edgell:
Thank you so much for coming. It's great to have you here.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about your musical journey and what brought you to Welby.

Anna Edgell:
Well, so it started, if we go clear back, it started in sixth grade. I went to band and played the flute. Then in junior high, I played flute and saxophone. And then high school I played saxophone, just only saxophone. Then my band teacher started up an orchestra at our high school. And so that's when my journey on the violin started, in my high school.

My mom noticed that that was an elective. And she said, "Oh, you should do that. It would be so awesome. You can play violin." I was like, "Yeah, let's try that out. I love learning instruments.” And so I took that up and then just fell in love with the violin and all the string instruments, I love and just have a great passion for it. And it just took off from there. Then I studied it in college and my minor is music.

I continued taking private lessons through there and conducting classes that I took and the theory classes. And that was all really, really fun, and just continued on. I've continued to take lessons. I've taken from America's violinist, Jenny Oaks-Baker. She's amazing. She does not disappoint. She's so good at playing, but she's also a fabulous teacher. She's so good. So I've learned so much from her and she's so fun to learn with.

My daughter goes here and last year when they, right before school started, they're like, "Oh, we have an opening we need to fill for orchestra teacher." And Kathy Worthen was before who did amazing, had been here 20 plus years. So I just applied for it. So it's my first year here.

It's been amazing. The kids are so amazing. What a great group of kids. They work so hard and they come early before school twice a week. I leave every day with my heart so full because just making music together and being able to share that together and just their service that they serve to one another is amazing to see. They helped me set up the classroom with, you know, just jump in and they were so willing to help. And then to clean up the classroom and during class and to make sure that I have my stand and everything that I need. What a great group of kids that we have here at Welby.

Anthony Godfrey:
As I watched them this morning, it was obvious how much they are connected with each other and how much fun they're having as part of the orchestra program.

Anna Edgell:
Yes, yeah, we've been having a lot of fun. I think that's something that Kathy did when she was here is just to build just a love of music and to have fun with it. So my goal is to continue with that and hopefully we can just instill that love of music and continue on having fun and creating music together.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about how it feels to just to watch their progress because I'm sure that when they come, when they start out, you have a beginning and an advanced band, by the way. So you're doing this four days a week. You're alternating. But with both groups, tell me how it feels to see where they start and where they end up based on the time they spend together with you.

Anna Edgell:
Oh, it's amazing. It is so incredible to see and it's so much fun because, you know, in our beginning one, we call it the Red and Black Orchestra, they come on Monday and Wednesday. And so they're here for 45 minutes, twice a week. And a lot of them have never touched an instrument before. And so, you know, it's just taking it from the very beginning and it's just all those little details of how to hold the bow, how to hold your instrument. And there's a lot that goes into it, the counting, the staff, learning the notes.

It's incredible to see because, you know, at the start of the year, we go for a few months. And then here we are at Christmas time doing a concert and they've only been playing just a couple of months and learning twice a week for a couple of months. They haven't had, you know, a long time yet, but it was so incredible to see it all come together. I'm so proud of them and they should be so proud of themselves and all their hard work that they put in because it's really rewarding at the concert to see it all come together. And it's just we get to enjoy what we've been working on for months. It's so fun to see.

Our advanced Wildcat, we call them the Wildcat Orchestra. And it's so fun to see them too because they've been there. We're all on our own different journeys. You know, some we're just all in our own different spot. But that is completely 100% OK. And I hope that everyone can feel welcome in the orchestra because it doesn't matter how long we've been playing for. You know, it's not a comparison. It's just we want to get together and make music. And they're so great at just coming together, playing music, helping one another out and seeing their progress. They did so good at the concert and they sounded so good. And I was just so proud of them and their progress as well. So it's so fun to see.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thank you for doing this.

Anna Edgell:
You're welcome.

Anthony Godfrey:
It means so much to the kids and it's such a great enrichment to their school experience and helps to find who they are. And more than anything, I'm just excited that they get this sense of efficacy. Like I try something I've never tried before. And look, I can get better at it and I can be good at it.

Anna Edgell:
Yeah. Yeah. No, I love that. And it is I just think it's so great that they offer it here at Welby in an orchestra. They have that option. I didn't have the option growing up, but you know, but that's that's OK. But I just think that it's a great opportunity. And just like you said, just the connections that they're making with each other, the friends that they're making. We definitely learn, you know, all the music stuff, but it's definitely more than that. It's the friendships that we're building.

The time that we get to spend together, the memories. And so it's just in the community. And then, you know, we get to bring bigger community. You know, their parents get to come in and see what they've been learning. So it's just a great way to bring people together.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thank you very much. Yeah, that's great. It's so nice to meet you.

Anna Edgell:
Nice to meet you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you will do today. We'll see you out there.

(upbeat music)