Featured Artist: Jean Orr

Name: Jean Orr

Grade: 12

ToolsViolin, bow, rosin- “tree sap molded into a shape that you rub on the bow to produce sounds”- and music stand.

Began: Fourth grade. They offered it in elementary school and I thought it would be fun to try. I ended up really liking it.

Best Part: The final product. You know, after you’ve practiced for weeks and weeks or months, even; it’s really rewarding. Every time orchestra finishes a concert and we know we’ve worked hard and played well, we all have big smiles on our faces and it’s really special.

Inspiration: Usually I hear a really cool piece or someone mentions a piece that they really enjoy and that drives me to practice more and work harder. Also, hearing everyone play and come together in a big group is really rewarding.

Advice: At first, it’s really boring. You start out by just plucking strings and being bored. There are all the repetitious exercises, scales, arpeggios. Even working on one little part over and over again is frustrating and annoying, but it eventually pays off. It’s important to stick with it because you learn so much and learn to play some really beautiful music.

Vocalise by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Leave a Reply