Arts
Students from first York Strings class perform at Maine State String Festival
By Jennifer L. Saunders
Seven members of Lynne White McMahon's York Strings from Village and Coastal Ridge Elementary Schools - Dante Nieves, Matthew Tenant, Katie Mahoney, Becca Prouty, Evan Hultstrom, Malcolm Hughes and Emily Knoettner - attended the Maine State Strings Festival earlier this month, joining a youth orchestra to perform an array of songs just six months after beginning to study the violin.
Photo by Jennifer L. Saunders
For the past six months, a group of second-graders from both Coastal Ridge and Village Elementary Schools has been studying the violin with local musician and teacher Lynne White McMahon through her brand new York Strings program. The classes, which were offered at the start of the year to any interested second-grade student at a significantly reduced cost of the typical private violin lesson, have been held on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at Village Elementary School since October. During that time, the students have grown in their ability from not knowing how to hold a violin or bow to being proficient with no fewer than eight songs.
At the Maine State String Festival, held at Thornton Academy in Saco on May 6, seven of the York Strings students performed those songs with an orchestra of children at approximately the same skill level. In fact, they joined a group of 150 young musicians playing an array of string instruments to make up one of four orchestras performing at the event. The festival included children in kindergarten on up through high school seniors.
McMahon explained that the festival is open to any school-related strings program. Her ultimate goal is to see York Strings as a part of the York School Department curriculum, with her hope to have an orchestra program at the middle school level three years from now.
And what did McMahon think of her first-ever York Strings students and their work to prepare for the festival?
"It has been perfect," she said. "They exceeded my expectations because this is my first time with the program. I wasn't sure they'd be ready, but they were more than ready."
In fact, she said, the students learned an extra song over the course of the year to perform of Hiroko Harada on her final day as an exchange teacher at Village Elementary School.
While some of the York Strings students were unable to attend the festival in Saco due to scheduling conflicts, the seven students who did take part in the program said it was well worth the trip. The musicians arrived at Thornton Academy at 9 a.m. and spent the day rehearsing, with breaks for lunch and to stretch, presenting a concert with all 400-plus musicians in four orchestras to family, friends and community members that afternoon.
"I've never played violin before, and I think I'm going to do it a lot more because I like it quite a lot," said Malcolm Hughes.
Evan Hultstrom agreed.
"I want to continue next year," he said, adding his favorite part has been learning so many new songs.
Matt Tennant, too, said he has enjoyed learning such songs as the French Folk Song, Old MacDonald and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.
Emily Knoettner said she has liked learning the songs and taking part in a festival with so many other students.
"I think it's been a lot of fun, and to understand what we are all working on in class," she said.
Becca Prouty said her favorite song is the Japanese tune she and her classmates learned to perform for Harada.
"I think it's fun," she said. "I really enjoy playing the violin very, very much."
Katie Mahoney said McMahon is one reason she loves playing the instrument.
"I love violin because my teacher is really, really nice and sweet," she said, adding, "My favorite song is the French Folk Song."
Malcolm pointed out that it can be more difficult to play in an orchestra than alone, as the sounds of other instruments and parts can be distracting, but it was worth it to hear the whole orchestra together.
Each of the students who took part in the festival - as well as others who were unable to attend - have said they hope to continue playing violin as part of York Strings.
And this, McMahon said, is hopefully just the beginning.
"Next year, these current second-graders will continue in an intermediate class at Coastal Ridge," she said.
There will be a new beginning class held at Village Elementary School for students in second grade or above who wish to begin the program.
She said other violinists who are interested might audition to join the intermediate class, as her hope is the town will support an orchestra program by the time the current beginner York Strings students are in fifth-grade at York Middle School.
In the interim, classes will end this week for the current students, although they will meet occasionally over the summer to practice and perform for enjoyment, McMahon said.
Want to learn more about York Strings? E-mail Lynne White McMahon at vmcmahon@maine.rr.com.
Associate Editor Jennifer L. Saunders can be reached via e-mail at jsaunders@yorkindependent.net.
