My school participated in a program to introduce elementary school children to the arts. It included a field trip to the symphony. The bus ride and being out of class were exciting enough. But the discordant sounds of the musicians warming up puzzled me. I wondered why they practiced in public. Shouldn’t they have prepared beforehand?
After a lot of noise no one would call music, the auditorium darkened. A man dressed in black tails walked across the stage. Everyone clapped when he bowed. A hush fell over the room when he faced the orchestra and held up a small wand.
He paused with the baton in the air until every eye watched. Then he began to rhythmically move the wand and every musician played in sync with his wand and with each other. It was beautiful. In front of me my teacher’s hand gently swayed with the music. My insides also began to waltz. We were one with the conductor.Continue Reading
