Youth and senior adults learn together

Part of Bethany's May 21 spring concert included a joint performance of middle school strings and orchestra students with New Horizons Strings, a group of senior adult musicians from the Goshen community under the direction of Brooks Bennett (who also teaches private cello lessons at Bethany).

Members of both groups enjoyed working with another generation. Middle school students were impressed that older people were interested in learning new instruments and enjoyed providing some leadership and hosting the group. New Horizons players commented how kind and thoughtful Bethany students were. Many of the New Horizons players had never played with a full orchestra before, and so they enjoyed the new sounds and sensations of participating in a large ensemble (more than 55 people in this case). Each group worked on the pieces in their own rehearsals, and the final week of the concert met together three times to rehearse.  

Bethany orchestra director Barb Slagel says, "There is value for this relationship on so many levels. It was good for our students to interact and learn together with other beginners of a different generation and to perform under the direction of a variety of people." In addition to Slagel, both Bennett and Bethany's choral director J.D. Smucker conducted pieces with Slagel participating with her students as a beginning violinist.

In addition to the joint performance, the concert included a special Bethany string ensemble and performances by various Bethany choral groups, including two ensembles, Men of Note and Laudate Women.

Laudaute Women: Performing "Teenager in Love"

Men of Note: Performing "do wops" in Come Go with Me