The melodious sound of resonating strings bounces off the walls for the enjoyment of any passerby. Many orchestra students have been practicing since elementary school and look forward to orchestra class as a way to unleash their creative talents.

“I’m a nerd and I like classical music,” Mary Giersch, sophomore, said. “But I think it’s fun to be at school and not be doing core content, and I like to play my instrument,” Mary Giersch.

Other students in the orchestra have stuck with one instrument their whole life since joining the orchestra and haven’t changed since, furthering their musical skills to the max.

“I remember I moved here in fifth grade and my mom said there was an orchestra program,” Ava Albrecht, sophomore, said. “She said that I should try it so I just picked the violin.”

However, many students have had to deal with missing a year of in-person orchestra instruction and instead played from their own homes through the program Zoom, making the return to in-person learning all the more exciting for many students this year.

“My year in the orchestra is pretty great so far,” Grace Kay, junior, said. “I mean I’ve improved a lot from last year, but I kind of wish that it wasn’t during the coronavirus.”

With the orchestra returning back to in-person learning, students recounted their favorite things about learning in person and how it helped to progress their musical talents.

“Mr. E Is really entertaining. He is quite eccentric, and he’s entertaining to watch especially while he’s conducting,” Aleeza Beg, junior, stated. “He gets kind of wild and that’s a lot of fun.”

Seniors of the orchestra, despite the difficulties that the pandemic presented, have also seen an increase in their musical talents.

“Throughout these four years, I’ve seen myself progress in my skill,” Allie Dullie, senior, stated. “Sometimes it’s nice when we get to miss the class cause of orchestra stuff, and all of the pieces are also nice to play.”

Emanuelson also is very excited about the musical experiences that in-person orchestra brings to the table, such as the return of concerts, sharing the love of music with others and most importantly learning among other talented musicians.

“This year, the really special thing about orchestra was coming back out of pandemic with the virtual learning and the Zoom rehearsals and the recorded concerts posted on YouTube,” Emanuelson, said. “So for me, the highlight really was that process of people coming back, some people haven’t been in the building since the previous year.”