A single note rings out across the Ames High auditorium. It is then joined by the six grade levels on stage, tuning their strings in unison.

On February 17, the 7th through 12th Orchestra Concert once again brought the Ames Middle School and High School orchestras together for an enormous performance.

“The challenge the last couple years has been the number of students that we’ve had on stage, so it gets a little crowded,” 6-8th grade orchestra teacher Andrew Weihrauch said. “We’re going to try to maybe rethink what we might do in the future to alleviate that a little bit.”

One benefit of performing at the high school is the acoustics difference. The auditorium at AMS has a hole in the ceiling that lets sound flow out while the high school auditorium projects better.

“All that sound just comes at you at once. It’s really impressive, not only from the audience standpoint, but as conductors, it’s nice to conduct such a large group that’s so responsive,” Weihrauch said.

The younger grades also benefit from who they play with, as well as the space they perform in.

“I think it’s good for them to look up at their older peers and go, ‘Wow, it’s my older peers, I want to be just like them,’” sophomore viola Skylar Calland said.

Driskell describes how playing alongside the older students can influence the middle schoolers. They begin to pick up different techniques that they see.

“What I’ve noticed most is they start doing things kind of through osmosis, like, how do I use my bow? How do we cue each other in, watch the conductor, help each other, and use intonation,” Driskell said.

She also believes that the upperclassmen benefit from playing with the 7th and 8th graders as well. 

“When they sit next to someone younger than they are, it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, I have learned a lot in the last two years,’” Driskell said.

Such a large concert is difficult to organize, but it’s worth it in the end. The middle schoolers pack up their instruments and leave with a glimpse of their future, while the high schoolers say farewell to their past.