On Thursday, April 4, orchestra students from throughout Methacton School District took part in the annual String Jamboree, a celebration of Methacton’s orchestra program that involves students from fourth to twelfth grade. The concert was held at Arcola Intermediate School at 7:30 PM.
The high school orchestra began the night with “Agincourt”, a quick piece with challenging rhythms. The song was directed by Mrs. Jennifer DeSanto, the high school orchestra director. Violinist Rasika Sivakumar, a sophomore, said that the song is “a very energetic, briskly-paced piece” with the spirit of “courage and war”. She described it as a storytelling song that documents the feelings of a single soldier. Later, high school students played with the younger groups, a few players from each section assigned to each song.
Afterwards, Arcola Intermediate School’s String Ensemble, an auditioned group, played a piece called “Momentum” under the direction of Mrs. Sharon Saul, Arcola’s orchestra director. Lena Smoyer, a ninth-grade bassist, played with String Ensemble; she described the song as “unexpectedly fast, but enjoyable”. She said that she had fun with the song’s “adventurous, exciting tone, which impacted all of those who played it.”
String Ensemble then combined with the larger Arcola Orchestra to play an arrangement of the classic Beatles song “Eleanor Rigby”, directed by Mrs. Saul. Natalie Zebrowski, senior and violist who played with the Arcola orchestra, said that the piece made her feel “focused”. She said that the piece’s drama led her to feel “intense emotions of urgency”.
Mrs. Saul’s retirement at the end of the school year was announced at the Jamboree. The announcement was met with a subdued murmur from throughout the auditorium.
Following “Eleanor Rigby”, sixth grade, conducted by Mrs. Susan Basalik, played a whimsical piece entitled “Ninja”. It combined pizzicato (plucked strings) and arco (bowed) playing styles. Thematic verbal sound effects were also included in the sheet music. “I thought the song was pretty fun to play,” commented freshman violinist Suhyun Park. She added that the vocal accents added a humorous character to the piece.
Fifth grade then serenaded the audience with a tenser piece, “Impulse”, under Mrs. Basalik’s conduction. Freshman Alana Bove, who plays violin, commented that the piece’s simpler style made it “like a breath of fresh air from [the high school’s] music”. The piece consists of a steady quarter-note rhythm; however, the structure of the chords in the music creates a tense atmosphere.
Fourth grade, the youngest participants in the Jamboree, played “Jazz For the Open Strings”, a piece that combines the rhythms, notes, and skills that the players have learned. They were conducted by Mx. Steph Shuey, the elementary school orchestra teacher. A fourth-grade violinist said that their favorite part of “Jazz For the Open Strings” was “the piano part” and how all of the instruments “mix together” to create the full orchestration.
To conclude the night, all of the participants in the performance played a finale, “Bowtown Blues”, together. Another fourth grader who played at the Jamboree said that the finale was their favorite song “because of the drums” which accompanied it. The last song of the 2024 String Jamboree ended to much applause from the audience.
