by Malini Gandhi
For over 20 years, Orchestra held rehearsals Thursday X-block and Tuesday evenings from 7 to 9:30, tuning instruments and laughing in the bustling music room while the rest of the school emptied out, and outside darkness fell.
But starting this year, Orchestra has class time for rehearsal.
Students practice during two blocks every week and hold a shorter rehearsal Tuesday evenings, a change that Orchestra director Adam Grossman said is “only positive.”
“We had been considering the allocation of class time for Orchestra for a long while, and we decided this was just the time to try it,” Grossman said.
According to Grossman, the previous arrangement was workable but not that practical.
The Thursday X-block rehearsals were difficult to manage and inefficient because students often had sports practices or other obligations, while the Tuesday meetings from 7 to 9:30 p.m. were long and tiring.
Now, the X-block meetings will be eliminated altogether, while the Tuesday meetings will be shortened to 7 to 9 p.m., he said.
Senior Laura Cooke, a member of Orchestra for the past four years, said that the change is “a lot more manageable.”
“It was a little strange to get used to at first because it’s been one way for so long, but I think it is definitely a good thing,” Cooke said.
“We have more rehearsal time as a whole, and it’s a lot more structured,” she said.
Cooke mentioned that the arrangement is also useful for collaborations with other music groups.
In the past, when rehearsing for choral collaborations, Orchestra members were sometimes able to get out of class, but it was difficult and hectic, according to Cooke. With class time, the process is “a lot easier,” Cooke said.
According to Cooke, the change is a “good one,” and she is “really looking forward to this year, though it is bittersweet because it is her last.
“Orchestra gives people the opportunity to meet others in different grades, people you wouldn’t normally meet,” Cooke said.
“They say music bonds people, and I think that’s true. We are a close group of kids that enjoy music, and we have some great energy going on.”
Grossman also said that it is “nice to have class time, and I am looking forward to getting to know the class.”