Miramonte is cutting the string orchestra class for the 2019-2020 school year because of the low numbers that the class has recently received.

However, orchestra deserves to be continued at Miramonte.

Many string players at Miramonte do not have the chance to play in an orchestra or even take lessons outside of school.  The closest orchestras are in Berkeley and Oakland, and students often lack transportation to attend these.  In addition, these outside orchestras are a heavy commitment and with the many other extracurricular activities that Miramonte students participate in, music is often sacrificed.

The arts have been here since the dawn of man.  While science and math feed our logic and knowledge of the way the world functions, the arts feed us emotionally.  They nourish our soul and allow us to express our individuality, no matter the circumstances.  Science needs creativity.  Without creativity, Einstein would never have thought outside of the box and left the legacy that he has today.  (By the way, Einstein was a violinist.)

The arts are an integral part of any thriving community.  Though other academic subjects are often prized above the arts, orchestra serves as a way for people to express themselves and share the beauty of music for all to hear.

In terms of the benefits of music, orchestra creates both mental and physical joys.  Playing music relieves stress, easing the strains that are far too often placed on mental health.  Skills such as memory and abstract reasoning are formed through playing an instrument, which can have application in other subjects as well.  The dexterity of the fingers through fingerings and positions have positive benefits in future careers, not to mention a sense of discipline learned through practice.  I can't describe the pure sense of elation it feels to play with my peers in orchestra, when we all hit just the right spot - or the rising thrill of excitement in the finale of a piece.

Middle schoolers participating in the OIS orchestra will have no place to use their talent in high school.  While many of them hope to move from orchestra to orchestra through elementary school and on through Miramonte, they will be unable to.  Cutting orchestra will stunt the growth of musicians as they move through childhood.

Participants in the class were devastated to hear the news that the class is going to be cut. "Orchestra is like a family.  I made some of my best friends in this class," says one Miramonte senior who has taken the course all four years.  "I really enjoy taking a break from my studies to play music with my friends."  In a school environment rife with stress and academic pressure, orchestra serves as a way for students to take a moment and do something that they love.

Orchestra is a cherished part of our high school career, and the lessons that we learn - the friends we make, the passions we pursue - stay with us far past graduation. 

Please help to keep the Miramonte orchestra alive.