If you drop into any of the orchestra classes at CHS, you would be surprised to see bright eyed musicians passionate about music. In fact, they are so dedicated they involve themselves in musical ensembles after school.
The Clayton music community has a lot to be proud of; this year, 12 of our musicians were selected to the Webster Community Music School orchestras.
These musicians were sent excerpts over the summer to perform for the audition. Along with the excerpts, they must have a solo and their scales prepared.
Patrick Jackson, the conductor of Young People’s Concert Orchestra (YPCO), listens to these auditions carefully to decide who to accept.
“What I look for in young musicians auditioning for YPCO is that they have a very good since of rhythm,intonation,range of dynamics,command of the instrument, and a beautiful sound,” he said.

Sophomore Ine Suh was accepted into Young People’s Symphonic Orchestra (YPSO), and explained that she tried out for the ensemble to improve her music skills and gain more experience playing in other orchestras outside of CHS.
“I’m hoping to better my ability as a musician and have a great year playing with students from various schools,” she said. “I have already learned so much from our conductor, and it has been fun meeting new musicians who all share the common love for music.”
Junior Matthew Caswell also was accepted into YPSO this year, and hopes to gain more experience in the orchestra realm.
“As a serious music student, extracurricular ensembles and lessons are a critical part of musical education,” he said. “The most exciting aspect of YPSO this year is the number of CHS students who were accepted to YPSO and actually attend the weekly rehearsals.”
Jackson not only wants the musicians to enjoy attending the rehearsals, but he also hopes that the music will challenge them in every way from tone to technique.
“The goals for this year are the same as previous years,having a high standard of orchestral playing alone with learning how to play in a symphony orchestra through great orchestral literature,” he said. “This year’s orchestra will be challenged by a variety of vast composers from different cultures and some of the pieces are filled with virtuosity.”

Some repertoires YPCO will be performing are Stravinsky’s “The Firebird Suite”, Glinka’s “Ruslan and Ludmila Overture”, and “I Dreamed A Dream” from Les Miserable.
A piece YPSO will be performing is Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 2 in C Major”. This piece is both Caswell’s and Suh’s favorite out of all they will be performing for the fall concert.
“This piece is very lively and powerful,” she said. “I’ve never played Beethoven’s pieces before, so it’s a whole new experience.”
Caswell also loves this piece because of its technical challenges and complexity.
“It really allows room for infinite improvement,” he said.
With challenging pieces also comes the challenge of tackling the piece and perfecting it for performance. However, Jackson does not seem to be too worried about the challenge as he sees that this year’s YPCO group is extremely capable of going far.
“The strong aspects of this year’s ensemble is the strong depth in all the sections and outstanding principal players,” he said. “I hope the wonderful enthusiasm of all the young musicians will stay.”
Along with the musicians’ enthusiasm for the orchestra, Caswell and Suh hope that more musicians from CHS will be encouraged to audition next year.
“I’ve realized that music has become a greater part of my daily life since I have joined this ensemble,” Suh said. “I would definitely promote this opportunity to other musicians at CHS because it will provide a worthwhile experience that will cultivate them to enhance their musical proficiency.”
Caswell agreed. “I would absolutely promote this opportunity to other string or band members at CHS. It provides a fun experience and a place to create music in a large group.”