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Idaho (orchestra)
May. 21st, 2011 11:18 pmSometimes this place feels like the farthest place from anywhere, and sometimes it's like the center of the universe. Strange. It's true that it's definitely very far away. That song by Ricardo Montaner, El Ultimo Lugar del Mundo? Yeah, yeah, I know it's supposed to be about Chile, but man, it sure fits eastern Idaho. But then I realize how extremely saturated this place is in just about everything that made me (and my husband, so doubled over)--the whole creating an existence out of practically nothing, high education and arts preference despite scanty income, both results of generations of Mormon pioneers who thought things would be easy once they got done walking across the United States to Utah--only to be sent up to el ultimo lugar del mundo, aka Idaho. And then it all feels incredibly close to a lot of important things.
Like last night, when we went to son 1's orchestra concert. I'm just really, really impressed with the music program here! The music enrollment in the district is a full 50%. (In 5th grade you're required to take either band or orchestra or choir. After that year, you can pick something else, but most kids stay invested in some music class or other.) The 7th graders went to a contest down in Utah (where they have not only the whole yes-we-brought-our-piano-across-the-plains, why-do-you-ask? heritage, but also lots of people and resources) and they got top scores/first in their division in everything they did. And they just sound really, really good!! Like real music, not just some screechy school class. It's completely normal--socially attractive, even--to be in orchestra or band or choir or ballroom. This is what cool kids do here when they're not improving trails in Yellowstone or earning $$ at spud harvest or whatever. Just a really different mentality than I've seen in most places I've lived. I didn't get a very good recording (mostly because my 2YO was on his third school event of the day and was trying to run away during the concert), but here is someone else's recording of my favorite song they played--William Hofeldt's Lullaby. And yeah, they kind of sounded like this.
Like last night, when we went to son 1's orchestra concert. I'm just really, really impressed with the music program here! The music enrollment in the district is a full 50%. (In 5th grade you're required to take either band or orchestra or choir. After that year, you can pick something else, but most kids stay invested in some music class or other.) The 7th graders went to a contest down in Utah (where they have not only the whole yes-we-brought-our-piano-across-the-plains, why-do-you-ask? heritage, but also lots of people and resources) and they got top scores/first in their division in everything they did. And they just sound really, really good!! Like real music, not just some screechy school class. It's completely normal--socially attractive, even--to be in orchestra or band or choir or ballroom. This is what cool kids do here when they're not improving trails in Yellowstone or earning $$ at spud harvest or whatever. Just a really different mentality than I've seen in most places I've lived. I didn't get a very good recording (mostly because my 2YO was on his third school event of the day and was trying to run away during the concert), but here is someone else's recording of my favorite song they played--William Hofeldt's Lullaby. And yeah, they kind of sounded like this.
