If you do not already know, there are a couple different fine arts’ programs at Steffen Middle School. Students are able to join the orchestra, band, or choir, and each can benefit students in different ways. As students get older, they begin to drop out of fine arts which has a couple of impacts on the different fine arts programs at Steffen. The smaller number of students can be good for keeping things on track, but it is less beneficial when it comes to creating a large sound at concerts and performances.
Continuing to learn and play an instrument can sometimes be overwhelming and challenging, but joining any fine arts program that suits you can benefit your skills. There are many different reasons to join orchestra, band, and choir, and students within 7th grade orchestra and choir give reasons to continue or join these programs.
7th grade orchestra students Emily Siefert and Ethan Shutic both agree that it’s fun to play music, and great to meet new people. “People should join orchestra because it is a way to express yourself outside of academic things,” 7th grader Samantha Doughty says. There are also really simple reasons as to why people join orchestra. 7th grader Jay Ghotra says, “I just think it’s cool and fun to play music,” which is probably as simple as it gets. Caroline Bell and Eva Chakrabarti both admit that it’s challenging, but that just pushes everyone to do even better. They also say it’s great to socialize people with common interests. 7th grade choir students Julia Van Laanen and Claire Gilbertson say that choir is fun because you can choose songs to sing, and that it’s also a good way to express yourself. Ishika Shamith says, “You don’t have to be the best at singing or at your instrument, people can still feel a sense of belonging.”
As you can see these students have different reasons as to why they think people should join or continue with the fine arts programs at Steffen. It can be fun, exciting, and also a challenging experience but in the end, can benefit in different ways to students.