VTHS hosts Orchestra Day for younger students

VERNON — Recently, Vernon Township Public Schools held their second District Orchestra Day where orchestra students in grades 4-12 gathered at the high school.

The students from each school performed selections from their upcoming or recent concerts, beginning with the fourth-graders and ending with the VTHS String Orchestra and Full Orchestra.

The students then broke into two orchestras, one containing VTHS Orchestra students with fourth- and fifth-graders; the other containing VTHS Orchestra students with sixth- through eighth-graders. Vernon Orchestra Director Rachel Whitty rehearsed “Gargoyles” with the younger orchestra, while VTHS Orchestra Director Jennifer Krott rehearsed “I Dreamed A Dream” with the older orchestra.

At the end of the day, the groups performed their pieces for each other.

“It was wonderful to see the musical progress as each school performed in the morning concert," Krott said. "It was especially amazing to see our high school students discussing how to read music, instrument-specific performance techniques, and rehearsal techniques with students in grades 4-8. They were able to draw on their own experience from attending side-by-side rehearsals with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and the students in grades 4-8 made incredible progress in a short amount of time. All of our students did a fantastic job.”