First Concert!!

The Oakwood Chamber Orchestra, made up of 5th grade first year orchestra students, had their first concert last night. Though parents were asked not to take flash photos during the performance, we were given a photo opportunity before the concert, at which time all of the parents of the 5th graders (who outnumbered the 6th grade philharmonic orchestra students) flooded the front of the cafeteria/auditorium, trying to get closest to the stage! Here is Phelan, who was one of the closest to the audience!

This shows his position on stage (third row back):

And here they take a bow! Phelan is the third from the left. The picture is a bit blurry, which happens whenever I take pictures with no flash.

They sounded great. You couldn't tell--and I couldn't believe--that most of these students had only been playing for 3 months! Phelan was very proud that he didn't mess up even once, and that he remembered his bow circles while most of his classmates forget them routinely. The 5th grade orchestra seems a tight-knit group, and there are many friendly students in the orchestra, ad likely--from the sound of it--some raw talent or dedication or both! The 6th grade's songs were more complex; nevertheless, the 5th graders sounded more impressive!
My only complaint is that the 5th graders only played for about 15-20 minutes. After the concert, we picked up some food from McDonald's only to find several members of the orchestra both inside and in the drive-through! Everyone had the same idea. Looking forward to more concerts in the spring, and perhaps next year, too!