On Wednesday, students from Detmold, Germany performed with the McLean Orchestra as part of their annual German exchange program.
“It was an amazing experience,” senior Joe Daniels said. “We have really good friends now who just happen to live in Germany. We know each other very well, and it is great to [know people] in a different country.”
The orchestra’s performance blended German and American culture, with composers coming from both backgrounds.
“We played dancing music from around the world,” said Florean Wessel, Grabbegymnasiym orchestra conductor and music teacher. “[We played pieces by] Brahms, who lived in Detmold once and Beethoven, West Side Story, My Fair Lady and Grease.”
In preparation for the concert, the two orchestras coordinated their music lineup months in advance to familiarize themselves with the pieces before the week of the exchange, in which the two orchestras would practice together.
“We plan the music [during] the summer or fall, and then we send the music sheets to each other,” orchestra teacher Starlet Smith said. “We practice separately first, and then when they get here, we rehearse two to four hours every day.”
While it took time for the two orchestras to become one cohesive group, through practice and their mutual understanding of music, they were able to perform as one unified orchestra.
“[Music] is a universal language that we can all read,” Smith said. “So after rehearsing a few times, it starts to sound better, and that’s how it comes together—it’s like fitting two puzzle pieces together.”
The German exchange tradition has allowed students to learn about different lifestyles from other countries.
“They have so many interesting things that they share that are different about their culture and living in Germany,” Daniels said.
The exchange opportunity gives students the chance to foster relationships that overcome distance. By connecting through music, they are able to share a passion that becomes the basis of new friendships.
“I feel pretty happy, but also sad because we [have to leave],” German exchange student Josephine Heckel-Huang said. “It was such a cool experience, and I found a lot of new friends.”
