It was a music meet and greet for third graders at Lockhart Elementary School in the Massapequa School District, who next year can join instrumental and vocal ensembles.
Following the morning Advanced Concert on April 3, which featured performances by the fifth-grade band, chorus and orchestra, third graders soon learned how they could be up on that stage.
Band teacher Nicole Boyle passed around several instruments from the brass and woodwind families that students can play beginning in fourth grade. They got to handle clarinets, flutes, trumpets and more. Students can also join the percussion section and have become familiar with those instruments over the past few years in general music classes.
For orchestra, teacher Alison Pearl showcased the bass, cello, viola and violin. She explained that when deciding on an instrument to play, the hands-on experience is important because students often make the selection based on what feels right.
General music teacher Kathleen Dyckman encouraged the students to join the chorus as well, as they are allowed to both sing and play an instrument. She noted that most members of Lockhart’s fifth-grade band and orchestra are also members of the chorus.
