The concert was fantastic! All of the groups, especially PSP, sounded awesome. The students looked like they enjoyed themselves while they were performing. My piece went smoothly, as expected. I am very proud of them and excited for my final semester as an intern. The students are very fortunate to be able to perform at the Temple Performing Arts Center, where Temple’s music ensembles perform. Popular artists such as the Philadelphia Orchestra and J. Cole have performed on this stage also.

Yesterday was the last rehearsal before the concert. We began with a quick rehearsal followed by a run-through of PSP’s section of the concert. All of the groups sounded great, with the exception of a few minor things. The rehearsal and performance of my piece went well and I am confident that it will be great in the concert. Despite the strong rehearsal, I was concerned about was attendance. Two of my best players (they’re siblings) were absent. I later found out from my director that their parents notified her that they were not able to make it but they will be there on Saturday. Attendance is a major problem for PSP. Some students are only able to attend PSP on Saturdays. Others come for a few weeks, disappear for a month and resurface. Either way, these students miss many classes that impact their progress as well as the group’s. Occasionally, if my director tries to reach the parent(s) or guardian, she discovers that the number given is incorrect or is out of service. My director believes that if we had a strict attendance policy, we would only have five students in total.

Including today, there are only three rehearsals left until the concert on Dec. 7! This revelation caught some of the students off guard. However, they were not as serious as I thought they would be. They were a little unfocused and chatty. I was trying to my best to be authoritative without yelling at them (like one of my colleagues) but it did not work today. My director has told the interns a few times how the students are probably yelled at by their teachers and I did not want them coming to String Project to have the same experience. Urban students are seen as problems to society rather than students with problems in society. Although they were not on their best behavior, my piece has improved greatly. I am unable to attend PSP on Saturday and my director will rehearse my piece for me. I hope it is perfect for the final rehearsal!

During the semester, my director has emphasized the importance of being knowledgable on the other string instruments, including being able to play. She reminds us how costly it can be if you cannot play the other instruments for a job interview. A few weeks ago, my director tested the interns on double bass. Aside from how comical I looked with the instrument, I remembered the fingerings and sounded ok. Over the past few classes I have been working on my cello skills if there is a cello available during rehearsal. I sense a cello test before Thanksgiving…

In general, the winter concert music is starting to come along. The sectionals from a couple of weeks ago made a difference and the students have a better understanding of the music. I was not sure if the sectionals were effective since many of the students arrive late due to public transportation or poor planning by their parents, especially on Saturdays. It took a long time to set up stands, tune instruments and get started. Hopefully we can schedule another sectional before things start becoming hectic.

Tomorrow’s Sectionals

Preparing for tomorrow’s sectionals!

The past few weeks at PSP have been crazy. We were worried that we were not going to have as many kids as we did last year due to the budget cuts in Philadelphia. Thankfully, we have about eighty students registered this year, although we are down from one-hundred from last year. Personally, I am glad that we have less students; it is easier to make sure everyone is learning. The biggest surprise is the distribution of the students throughout the classes. We do not have as many beginners as we normally do, probably due to the budget cuts. I think it is a shame how the arts are considered to be a secondary activity instead of a necessity. Personally, I believe that the aesthetics would help students in low-income areas do better in school. I do not know my students’s individual situations, however, I know that PSP is making a difference in some way. I am glad that many of our previous students returned ready to learn and play awesome music.