Wilsonville band, orchestra, and choir students took a trip to Winema camp in Tillamook on November 18th and 19th for a music retreat. With hard work and practice also came fun social activities, games, and trips to the beach. The musicians had the opportunity to grow in their skills and as a community.
The purpose of this retreat was for all of the music departments to work together, grow closer, and bond over their passion and love for music. At the retreat, the 3 departments got to practice their pieces for their upcoming concert where they will perform together.
With the hours of practice time together the choir, band, and orchestra are prepared for their concert, according to Maya Saunders, a senior in the choir. Maya noted that one of her favorite pieces was “Believe” from The Polar Express. In this song, the choir performs alongside the band and orchestra.
The retreat maintained a good balance of fun and hard work. Morgan Wonderly, a junior in orchestra used the phrase “Work hard, play hard” when describing the weekend getaway. Morgan said, “The retreat is used to bring the group together and work out the finer details, so making sure you have your part down is crucial.”
Overall the retreat was successful. Xander Layne in the band says, “My favorite part of the retreat was getting to meet new people from different music groups and make a ton of new friends, as well as having the opportunity to grow as an individual musician and as a band.”
Morgan said her favorite part was everything, “like performing the band/orchestra piece “Sleigh Ride” for the choir, stopping at the Tillamook Cheese Factory for dinner, hanging out with my roommates, and of course, going down to the beach!”
Maya’s favorite part was a tradition within the choir that takes place on the last night of the retreat: the candlelight ceremony. “We all give out candles to our secret person, and then we say something nice about them, and it just brings us all together.”
This experience taught the musicians many things, like learning the importance of community. The trip gave everyone a chance to meet new people who share the same passion and hobby. While the musicians grew together they also had the chance to grow as individuals.