Minnesota Youth Symphony offers students professional experience in music
October 2016, Arts & Entertainment
A calm, peaceful feeling descends over the mind, the slow strains of classical music soothing the musician as he plays in time with the entire orchestra. For senior Paul Watkins, the meditation-like effect that playing his viola has on him is what keeps him passionate and eager to devote his time to music. The Minnesota Youth Symphony (MYS) provides him, along with other students at St. Paul Academy and Summit School, an opportunity to become a better musician.Watkins first started playing the violin in kindergarten.
“It was kind of forced on me as a little kid, I didn’t have much say in the matter — I was in kindergarten and there was a music sampler and I liked the violin the most,” he said. “I come from a musical family...so it was kind of natural for me to follow in that.”
Watkins switched to viola two years ago because of the larger amount of opportunities available to violas as compared to violins, and because he liked the sound of a viola better. He attributes his spot in the symphony orchestra to his choice to play the viola instead of the violin.
“I probably wouldn’t have gotten into [the MYS] symphony if I’d stayed with the violin,” he said.
His passion for music stayed with him all this time because of its calming effect, especially during times in Watkins’ life that have been more stressful.
“I like the act of playing [an instrument]. You get lost in it for a while, and eventually you’re just tuned into the music...all you focus on is how your fingers move, how you’re interpreting the music...it’s all very zen, like meditation,” he said. “[Music is] kind of a center in my life and something I’m really appreciative of, over the past two years especially when everything has been kind of falling apart, at least I have my music.”
Junior Eva Garcia’s passion for playing the flute in and out of the MYS also is hinged on the way she connects with her music.
“I really get into the music when I play. I don’t think I’d still be doing it if I didn’t,” she said.
Garcia became a member of the MYS in her sophomore year, and has been playing with the highest level orchestra, the symphony orchestra, ever since.
“It’s a community, you get to know people [and] the conductor is amazing, he really connects with the kids and you learn a lot of music. You learn a lot about yourself and who you are as a player [at MYS],” she said.
Garcia also loves how students are taught not only how to play the music, but also the history of the time period and composer.
“It’s not just like we’re playing music, it’s like we’re learning the story so we can perform it the way its supposed to be performed,” she said.
Watkins first joined MYS in 2011, when he was around eleven or twelve years old, playing in various lower orchestras before joining the symphony orchestra three years ago. MYS requires a huge time commitment — rehearsals run on Saturday mornings from 8:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., there are three concerts a year, and students also need to practice at home — but Watkins believes that the time is worth it.
“It’s fun to play otherwise I wouldn’t go every week. — I like playing in orchestra, I like being part of something bigger than myself,” Watkins said.
Sophomore William Welsh also values the role conductors play at MYS; he joined the philharmonic orchestra in seventh grade and he plays the clarinet.
“[The conductors] are very passionate and they really like to dig deep into the music just like [students] do,” he said.
Welsh first started playing the clarinet in second grade; his family also has a history of being musicians.
“My dad played clarinet in high school and college — he would just take it out every so often and I would fool around with it...then I decided that I wanted to play on it for real,” he said. “[I like the clarinet because] it can create a bunch of different tone qualities. You can sound more like a brass instrument, or a woodwind instrument, or even a string instrument.”
The opportunities MYS gives to members also makes it valuable to students.
“It’s made me a much better musician overall, and a better person — you kind of have to put your own ego aside to play,” Watkins said.
Watkins is also a member of the SPA orchestra, and although he likes being a part of it, he believes that MYS is able to provide him with even more opportunities to better himself outside of the SPA orchestra.
“As much as I like the SPA orchestra, it pales in comparison to the level of playing MYS is at,” he said. “There’s more opportunities for playing [at MYS and] it gives you an opportunity to meet great people and play music that you wouldn’t otherwise get to play.”
Welsh also found that the MYS was able to better challenge him.
“I didn’t find school orchestra challenging, I wanted somewhere where I could play professional level repertoire with other kids that enjoy it as much as I do,” he said.
Through the MYS, Watkins and Garcia will visit Cuba this year with his orchestra to play alongside local symphonies in various towns in Cuba, traveling from La Havana to Santiago de Cuba. They will be playing in three big concerts — one alongside college-age musicians, one with musicians their age, and one in a marketplace.
Garcia believes that she’s learned a lot from MYS over the past few years.
“I just learned that even though it can be really hard at points, the outcome is amazing — I was listening to our CDs from last year and I was freaking out because I couldn’t believe it was us,” she said.
Fair use photo: MYS website
“It was kind of forced on me as a little kid, I didn’t have much say in the matter — I was in kindergarten and there was a music sampler and I liked the violin the most,” he said. “I come from a musical family...so it was kind of natural for me to follow in that.”
Watkins switched to viola two years ago because of the larger amount of opportunities available to violas as compared to violins, and because he liked the sound of a viola better. He attributes his spot in the symphony orchestra to his choice to play the viola instead of the violin.
“I probably wouldn’t have gotten into [the MYS] symphony if I’d stayed with the violin,” he said.
His passion for music stayed with him all this time because of its calming effect, especially during times in Watkins’ life that have been more stressful.
“I like the act of playing [an instrument]. You get lost in it for a while, and eventually you’re just tuned into the music...all you focus on is how your fingers move, how you’re interpreting the music...it’s all very zen, like meditation,” he said. “[Music is] kind of a center in my life and something I’m really appreciative of, over the past two years especially when everything has been kind of falling apart, at least I have my music.”
Junior Eva Garcia’s passion for playing the flute in and out of the MYS also is hinged on the way she connects with her music.
“I really get into the music when I play. I don’t think I’d still be doing it if I didn’t,” she said.
Garcia became a member of the MYS in her sophomore year, and has been playing with the highest level orchestra, the symphony orchestra, ever since.
“It’s a community, you get to know people [and] the conductor is amazing, he really connects with the kids and you learn a lot of music. You learn a lot about yourself and who you are as a player [at MYS],” she said.
Garcia also loves how students are taught not only how to play the music, but also the history of the time period and composer.
“It’s not just like we’re playing music, it’s like we’re learning the story so we can perform it the way its supposed to be performed,” she said.
Watkins first joined MYS in 2011, when he was around eleven or twelve years old, playing in various lower orchestras before joining the symphony orchestra three years ago. MYS requires a huge time commitment — rehearsals run on Saturday mornings from 8:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., there are three concerts a year, and students also need to practice at home — but Watkins believes that the time is worth it.
“It’s fun to play otherwise I wouldn’t go every week. — I like playing in orchestra, I like being part of something bigger than myself,” Watkins said.
Sophomore William Welsh also values the role conductors play at MYS; he joined the philharmonic orchestra in seventh grade and he plays the clarinet.
“[The conductors] are very passionate and they really like to dig deep into the music just like [students] do,” he said.
Welsh first started playing the clarinet in second grade; his family also has a history of being musicians.
“My dad played clarinet in high school and college — he would just take it out every so often and I would fool around with it...then I decided that I wanted to play on it for real,” he said. “[I like the clarinet because] it can create a bunch of different tone qualities. You can sound more like a brass instrument, or a woodwind instrument, or even a string instrument.”
The opportunities MYS gives to members also makes it valuable to students.
“It’s made me a much better musician overall, and a better person — you kind of have to put your own ego aside to play,” Watkins said.
Watkins is also a member of the SPA orchestra, and although he likes being a part of it, he believes that MYS is able to provide him with even more opportunities to better himself outside of the SPA orchestra.
“As much as I like the SPA orchestra, it pales in comparison to the level of playing MYS is at,” he said. “There’s more opportunities for playing [at MYS and] it gives you an opportunity to meet great people and play music that you wouldn’t otherwise get to play.”
Welsh also found that the MYS was able to better challenge him.
“I didn’t find school orchestra challenging, I wanted somewhere where I could play professional level repertoire with other kids that enjoy it as much as I do,” he said.
Through the MYS, Watkins and Garcia will visit Cuba this year with his orchestra to play alongside local symphonies in various towns in Cuba, traveling from La Havana to Santiago de Cuba. They will be playing in three big concerts — one alongside college-age musicians, one with musicians their age, and one in a marketplace.
Garcia believes that she’s learned a lot from MYS over the past few years.
“I just learned that even though it can be really hard at points, the outcome is amazing — I was listening to our CDs from last year and I was freaking out because I couldn’t believe it was us,” she said.
Fair use photo: MYS website