The Carlmont String Bonanza, a performance put on by orchestra students, was a fun-filled event that incorporated rarely-played pop music and melodic bonding among the string musicians.
The String Bonanza, which was held in the quad at lunch on Oct. 26, consisted of the orchestras playing various songs, most of which were pop music. In addition, Carlmont dance students performed in tandem with String Bonanza when they performed an arrangement of “Shut Down” by BLACKPINK.
Typically, the student musicians at Carlmont learn and perform classical music and are separated into two different orchestras: String Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra.
The String Bonanza offers students the opportunity to play with peers that they don’t usually get to and play music that is not normally taught.
“Usually in class we play serious or difficult music, so being able to take a break and focus on songs that are easy and light-hearted is really fun,” said Claudia Williams, a sophomore in Symphony Orchestra.
The enthusiasm seen from students this year for the String Bonanza stems from its origins.
Last school year, after seeing the fun the students in the pep band got to experience during football games, many orchestra students asked the music teachers to put an event in place for string instruments to have an opportunity to share a similar experience.
The music staff came up with the idea of the String Bonanza, in which all string instrument players from both orchestras perform pop culture music in the quad together at lunch.
The entire event was a hit, with the students enjoying it and feeling more bonded with their fellow musicians.
“I think experiences like this will always bring the orchestra together since we’re bonding over something we all did together,” said Harin Kim, a junior in the symphony orchestra.
“The entire process was fun: learning the music, getting to play the music with friends, and then performing it for the rest of the school to hear.
— Jackson Mao, a sophomore in the string orchestra.
One of the music teachers at Carlmont, Jordan Webster, believes that the orchestras should feel like a community, and it is essential that students have chances to bond with one another.
“Instrumental musicians at Carlmont are not just taking a class; they’re part of a department of almost 300 musicians. String Bonanza is an opportunity to get all the string musicians together regardless of grade, class, period, or ensemble,” Webster said.
In the coming years, Webster expects the String Bonanza to continue being a day orchestra students mark on their calendars and hopes to continue this event as a tradition going forward.
“I expect it’ll keep getting bigger and better,” Webster said.
