Fourth- and fifth-grade orchestra students participated in an interactive performance April 11 by Ensemble Connect, a group through Carnegie Hall, at Washington Irving Intermediate School in Tarrytown.
Flutist Anjali Shinde, violinist Isabelle Durrenberger, violist Isabella Bignasca and cellist Thapelo Masita led students on a musical exploration with moments of listening activities, audience interaction and reflection.
“It was an excellent interactive opportunity for the students because they got to participate in making songs with them and describing how the music made them feel,” said orchestra teacher David DiLeo.
Anjali Shinde, a flute fellow with Ensemble Connect, said these performances give the students “a lens into what the music is about and what making music can mean to different people.”
Fifth-grade violinist Isabella Moorer said she enjoyed the group’s performance because it showed what the instruments are about and how you feel once when you play them. “I think this helped me to practice trying to put emotion into my playing,” she said.
The engagement at the school was sponsored by The Pocantico Center during Ensemble Connect’s residency at Pocantico. The group presented a work-in-process performance to the public at The Pocantico Center’s David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center on April 12.