SEARCY, Ar. (LP) — Orchestra is one of the most enjoyed activities in school and outside of school as well. It helps students flex their minds and be able to share these feelings through powerful melodies and music. “Music education opens doors that helps children pass from school into the world around them- a world of work, intellectual activity, and human involvement. The future of our nation depends on providing our children with a complete education that includes music.” A famous quote said by President Gerald Ford.
You may not know it but, orchestra helps a person a lot more than you think. “Orchestra has so many facets when it comes to impacting students. Orchestra teaches not only music but also reading, math, fluency, literature, history, teamwork, dedication, motivation, self-discipline, organization, time management, responsibility, physical and mental health, and so so so much more. The first thing I strive for in my classroom is a healthy learning environment. Orchestra is a family. Learning music through orchestra has several scientifically proven advantages. Orchestra makes your brain fire more often quicker, and more consistently and use more synapses thus causing the student to be able to make more connections in the learning environment but make those connections faster. It helps enable the learning of math, reading, fluency, and so much more. Orchestra uses both sides of the brain constantly which makes you exercise more of your brain for longer periods of time making the student think faster, read faster, process faster, and smarter. ” Mrs. Megan Guthrie , the orchestra teacher of Searcy High School says. Mrs. Guthrie will make sure that you will be able to learn and practice other subjects will doing orchestra at the same time! Isn’t that cool?
Orchestra also helps people and other ways. “Besides how orchestra physically helps students, I believe the biggest impact is emotionally. Orchestra can change a bad day into a good day. It gives students the opportunity to erase whatever emotions they have at the time and lose themselves in the music and re-emerge in a different place mentally and emotionally. It raises endorphins and causes happiness to spread throughout the body. It also make the students realize that not only are they working as a team but that team cannot go on until each individual has put in the hard work and effort. Orchestra is an encouragement, an affirmation, and release from the ‘normal’ class and stress of the day. Orchestra impacts students on so many different levels and things that it is impossible to talk about all of them.” Mrs. Guthrie said.
Orchestra is very important to the environment and very helpful to people in daily life. It also helped people start careers. “I have past students that have turned orchestra or are turning orchestra into their career. That I know of right now, there are 4 students majoring in music. 3 of those 4 are going into music education and one is going into music performance. I also have several other students that have or are working on a music minor or have and do take part in orchestra at their college or university. Even if they do not choose orchestra as their career, they are still keeping it involved in their life. Orchestra is something that students and people can continue throughout their entire life. There is not an age limit to being able to play and perform. The best part is that before my students graduate, they have already had the seed of orchestra and music planted in their hearts and it will continue to grow even when out of orchestra. They have learned an appreciation for orchestra and music that others miss out on and orchestra leaves an imprint in them that will always be there,” Says Mrs. Guthrie. Maybe it would be good for you to join orchestra! It sounds very fun and very helpful.
