DAAYO Spring Concert

2/23/2025 - Creativity

I participated in DAAYO, a youth orchestra located in the northern Dallas area, and played in a concert with the wonderful group of youth. We met every Sunday to rehearse, for a concert of two majestic pieces: New World Symphony by Dvorak, and a Pipa Concerto, with a guest artist, Dr Mei. Rehearsing had always been fun, and I couldn't wait until concert day came. Rehearsing requires a lot of attention; it's a game of constant focus and the search for detail. For the players, one of the most important parts of becoming a successful orchestra is to not just have your own notes right, but also to carefully listen and watch the group to stay together-- or at least appear to be. With DAAYO, I continually developed my listening skills, and even met a few new friends! I got to chat with a few fellow seniors, learn the perspective of our conductor in conducting, and have fun with the group when playing.

LO5: In orchestra, listening and watching is very important. Players are unable to communicate with each other during performance other than through body language. While it isn't as intense as in a small, conductor-less ensemble, coordinating larger groups has its own difficulties as well. Students not only look up to watch their section lead, but also at the conductor as well. More importantly, because of how many parts there are, students are also encouraged to listen to the other parts to learn how their part fits in the puzzle. Furthermore, since we had a soloist, we also had to pay close attention to the soloist's rhythm; since they are the spotlight of the show, they get to control the tempo, and its very important for the orchestra to watch the conductor, listen closely, and follow along. By doing all this, we were able to successfully make a great performance in the Eisemann Center.