Youth Orchestra Prepares For Concert [VIDEO]

Monday, most of the thirty-some-odd students in the Eastern Connecticut Youth Symphony Orchestra gathered for their last practice before their first concert on December 18.

The group is composed of students across eastern Connecticut from seventh grade to seniors in high school. Waterford music teacher Joan Winters leads the group, and does what she can to push the students as much as possible.

 “We are trying to up the caliber,” Winters said. “I use the standard we are trying to go from a Walmart orchestra to a Williams-Sonoma or a Talbots orchestra.”

The concert Sunday, which runs at 2 p.m. in Waterford High School’s auditorium, is the first of two concerts the orchestra will perform. The group also plays at a variety of other events, including at the

The Mental Side

Winters' goal is to challenge the students with music a traditional orchestra would play, not the “watered down” versions often given to high school students. If the students feel challenged, it will increase both their confidence and their desire to keep performing, she said.

“Nobody wants to feel (small) when they play,” Winters said. “They want to feel good. And part of my job is not just (teaching students how to play the instruments), but also this (pointing to her head).”