With Some Strings Attached, High School Orchestra Visits Elementary Schools

For approximately ten years, Sayville High School Orchestra Instructor Ari Kramer and his strings students have made an annual “Children’s Concert” visit to the three Sayville Elementary schools to promote “strings” awareness. The Strings-Promotion Program “is our opportunity to introduce string instruments to Third graders,” Mr. Kramer explained, “because by the end of Third Grade, Sayville elementary students will be picking instruments” for Fourth Grade lessons. “We also invite the Fourth Graders to these assemblies as they are in their first year playing in the school district.”

Not only does this tradition of live performances provide the younger students a greater appreciation for string instruments, it also motivates them to join the orchestra at the secondary levels. 

On March 3, 2022, the “Children’s Concert” assembly opened with a performance of The Star Wars Theme by the High School strings orchestra to an animated audience at each of the elementary schools.  While in previous years, Mr. Kramer would invite the elementary students to participate in an impromptu “Children’s Petting Zoo for String Instruments,” during which the aspiring musicians could touch and hold the instruments, this year—to work within current health-and-safety protocols—Mr. Kramer instead asked each of his strings musicians to play a solo as a demonstration of the instrument’s musical qualities. After playing for the younger students, the Sayville High School strings musicians engaged in the question-and-answer part of the visit which allowed them to share what they knew and enjoyed about their chosen instruments.

Every year, the favorite part of this annual visit occurs when Mr. Kramer invites some of the elementary students to conduct the orchestra in his stead.  Again this year, the thrilled elementary students—assisted by a playful Mr. Kramer—led the well-trained High School musicians with wild waves of the wand that comically changed the tempo of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star from prestissimo to adagio to everyone’s amusement.  The performances evoked giggles and cheers from the children and ended with enthusiastic applause. At the final bow, Mr. Kramer awarded the fledgling conductor a shiny music pencil as a memento of his or her directorial debut. He also distributed music stickers to all the children in the audience.

There is no disputing that Mr. Kramer and his string musicians enjoyed their recent Children’s Concert visits, but so, too, the elementary students; Sunrise Drive Principal Dr. James Foy expressed the shared sentiments of all the elementary schools in his thank you message: “Your students played wonderfully today…it was a pleasure…”