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Never “second rate”

While Mt. Carmel has a deservingly awarded band, the orchestra has composed seven concerts throughout the year, performing in two competition festivals, and finishing off with their Pops Concert. They also got “unanimous superior” during The Poway festival of the arts. On top of that they have to perfect five to seven pieces of music for each performances. Yet there is common sentiment between many orchestra students where they feel they do not get enough credibility for the hard work they put in.

Natalia Dougan
Photo credit | Jenna Nicolas

Freshman cello player Natalia Dougan explains that orchestra does not have enough money to aid them to go places as much as band does.

“Band has more money to support them going to competitions, while we don’t have any,” Dougan said.

“Since we don’t go to competitions we can’t win anything, which doesn’t help us get recognized,” Dougan said. “We go to festivals to just play music, not to win.”

Freshmen Jack Szabo shares a similar point of view with Dougan regarding the inequality of the two programs.

Jack Szabo
Photo credit | Jenna Nicolas

“Literally the only sections that can walk and play are the violins and violas. You can’t have two sections walk while the cellos and bass stay in one place,” Szabo said. “We can’t shows off what we can do if all we can do is sit and play in the theater while they can play on the field during big home games.”

Freshmen violin player John Osicka has the same opinion as his other classmates adding that they are hard working doing pieces that are hard to master.

“Our program is very advance and we play some advance pieces of music. I don’t understand how students can just judge us when they don’t even play our instrument,” Osicka said.

John Osicka
Photo credit Jenna Nicolas

Freshmen cello player Esther Park states about the unfair treatment they get from the students at the school.

“It sucks that students  puts us behind band, [without] even seeing what we can do. They compare us to band by who had the most awards and not by the talent we have,” Park says.

Esther Park
Photo credit | Jenna Nicolas

Allyssa Ladrillano, a saxophone player explains that  that they have nothing against orchestra. Both groups play instruments while other kids do not.

“I think orchestra is really talented. I’ve seen them play  and they are actually really good. As band, we don’t consider them ‘second rate’, we think of them as equal. They play instruments just like us,” Ladrillano said.

Written by Kiahna Sales

Kiahna is a sophomore at MC, and a staff writer for the MC Sun. She is apart of the football team, basketball team, and track team. She loves dogs, drawing, and going to the beach.

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