MARANATHA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY

Collaborating with students from Maranatha Music Prep School proved to be the highlight of this year’s Band and Orchestra Concert. The Music Prep string group classes from beginner through intermediate teamed up with the university’s String Orchestra to play an arrangement of the hymn “Whiter Than Snow.”

Composed by Seth Custer for the Sforzando String Camp, the arrangement contains parts for beginning, intermediate, and advanced string players. This creative leveling of parts allowed kindergarteners and college students to play the same piece together, showcasing all ability levels and creating a memorable experience for everyone involved.

Music Prep string coordinator Melody Steinbart conveyed her excitement about this unique opportunity. “The orchestra piece as a whole was not just a simplistic piece typical of beginning orchestra, but rather an advanced piece which incorporated their parts. This experience allowed even the beginner students to be involved in and surrounded with good music.”

“As they make music, whether playing open strings or just the melody, they have the sense of being involved in something far bigger than themselves,” Steinbart continued. “The opportunity of playing in a multi-leveled group gives the younger students motivation and a vision of what is possible for them on their instrument.”

In addition to “Whiter Than Snow,” the university orchestra played Edward Elgar’s plaintive “Sospiri” and a series of dances by Peter Warlock entitled Capriol Suite. The Symphonic Band performed Rimsky-Korsakov’s wild “Dance of the Tumblers,” Jan van der Roost’s “Metalla” (a piece meant to reflect the sounds of an iron mine), and Gustav Holst’s classic First Suite in E flat.

To conclude the concert, the orchestra and band combined to give a repeat performance of the crowd favorite “Themes from Jurassic Park.”