Orchestra Strikes a Chord with P4 Students

As part of their “How We Organise Ourselves” Unit of Inquiry, Year 4 students from Sha Tin Junior School received an hour-long workshop from the STC Sinfonia Strings group last Wednesday.

Led by Mr. Travers, the 16-member orchestra, consisting solely of string instruments, performed four pieces to the enthused crowd. One of which was a ‘deconstructed’ piece – a performance with each group of instruments played separately- to demonstrate how the piece was coordinated. It proved to be a great help for the Year 4 audience, who were preparing for their upcoming body orchestra performance for their parents.

Mr. Travers gets ready to conduct the orchestra. Photo: Tristan Chau, 10P2

“It was a great experience, I felt upbeat and I learnt about how the orchestra was organised,” said Scarlett of P4.3. Zach from P4.2 agreed: “I learnt how things could go wrong, and I learnt about the role the conductor has to play.”

The students at SJS were not the only ones who benefited from the workshop, however.

“I have definitely learnt a lot from this experience, including the fact that it is always a good thing to practise your pieces until you are comfortable with them beforehand, and that sight-reading is a very, very valuable skill to possess,” said Leeann Tong, 10G1. “It’s brilliant being a member of Sinfonia Strings, and I really enjoyed this experience.”

The group answers some questions from the audience.  Photo: Tristan Chau, 10P2

The orchestra did not fail to impress the Year 4s and definitely helped them progress further in their Unit of Inquiry. Many thanks to Mr Travers and his orchestra for organising the event.
Tiffany Yu, 9G2