The FHS Symphony Orchestra received top scores at the annual Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association (MSBOA) festival held on March 11. The festival allows students in the class, like senior Viola Zak Burns-Pavlik, to show what they are capable of on a wider scale.
“I think it’s a really great way to showcase our talent to someone other than our parents,” Burns-Pavlik said.
In Symphony Orchestra, MSBOA (or festival as it is commonly called) is separated into two different sections. The first section is a performance of three pieces that judges grade off of five different values: tone, dynamics, rhythm, intonation and interpretation,
“Everything that is key to a solid performance,” Orchestra Director Jacob Traines said.
The second portion of orchestra’s MSBOA is a sight reading performance where musicians are given five minutes to break down the piece and think on the elements on the page in front of them without playing their instruments. The orchestra then plays the piece in front of a single judge and are given a score for their understanding and performance of the piece.
“It’s an intense, intense process,” Traines said.
During the five minutes of sight reading, Traines and his students spend the first minute talking amongst themselves about the piece instead of one person taking charge. After this minute, Traines asks his students questions about the page and what they see. Traines said this is a good way to prevent missing things as well.
“I only have one set of eyes, but there’s 45 kids out there with 90 eye balls,” Traines said.
When getting scores back for their performance and sight reading, orchestras are given multiple scores of numbers one through five, with a one being the best you can perform or achieve, while a five is the lowest and least achieving score possible.
The students had nothing to fear, however, since the class had received ones in every area they were being judged in, being the third year in a row that this has happened. But it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise.
“It’s something we work towards for most of the year,” Burns-Pavlik said.
Even though the festival can be a scary thing each year for every orchestra, it feels good to know that no matter how high they score, they will do their best and be supported for doing so.
“When I go up there, all I have is the practice I’ve done, and the skills that I have and there is nothing else to think about,” Burns-Pavlik said.
