Middle School, High School Musicians In “Side-By-Side” Rehearsals

Members of the High School Chamber Orchestra at the Middle School with Musci Teacher Margaret Gullotta.

With four more rehearsals to go before the Winter Concert at Garden City Middle School, members of the Middle School Orchestra received tips from advanced string students in the High School Chamber Orchestra. The musicians from the High School visited the Middle School earlier this month to help their younger counterparts prepare for the performance.

Music Teacher Margaret Gullotta, who arranged the exchange and conducts both orchestras, said the idea came from her own experience as a student at the High School of Music and Art in Manhattan. “I had the opportunity to participate in a “side-by-side” rehearsal with members of the New York Philharmonic,” Mrs. Gullotta said. “It was inspiring and an experience I’ll never forget.”

The Middle School musicians listened as their older counterparts played selections from the Middle School and High School repertoires, including Hiawatha, Vivaldi’s Allegro in D, and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. The High School musicians then listened to the Middle School musicians play and offered advice about how the performance might be improved.