West Islip Orchestras Record "Winter Treat" Performances

West Islip NY

11 January, 2021

4:12 PM

Description

Press release from West Islip School District: January 11, 2021 For the young musicians at West Islip's Udall Road Middle School and Oquenock Elementary School, the lack of formal winter concerts due to the pandemic did not stop them from their studies. For the month of December, both schools' orchestras took a break from their exercises and concert-style music and enjoyed playing holiday classics for fun, which were recorded as "Winter Treat" videos for the students' families. "Approaching the school year, I thought this would be really hard to accept for my students and myself," said Orchestra Director Lynnette Fawess. "It turned out to have many silver linings. We have been able to return to the basics and really focus on technique, note reading skills and ensemble playing without the pressure or 'deadline' of the winter concert. It was a nice change of pace and allowed room and time to build on our rapport with each other after having many months apart." This press release was produced by West Islip School District. The views expressed here are the author's own.