For most students, February is just the lead up to winter break. For orchestra students, February comes with another excitement: The West Side Festival. This is the time for orchestra students to showcase their talents, but do you know why we have this tradition?
Brien McMahon has been putting together the West Side Festival for 5 years now. This tradition was carried over from Norwalk High by Brien McMahon’s orchestra teacher, Mr.Rescsanszky.
When asked why he started the West Side Festival, Mr.Rescscanszky said, “We started the West Side Festival because at the time, there wasn’t a way for eighth graders to know what the high school orchestra would be like.”
Being a former orchestra teacher at Nathan Hale Middle School, Rescsanzsky had experienced the Eastside Festival. “It was a great program that got the eighth graders interested in the orchestra program.” Mr.Rescsanzsky states.
As a sophomore in Brien McMahon’s Philharmonia Orchestra, I’ve noticed how important the West Side Festival is. Interacting with the eighth graders, I can see how excited they are for their freshman year orchestra experience.
I’ve also experienced how much work goes into putting together the West Side Festival. The orchestra prepares for about 2 months, starting in December, for the festival in February. When prompted, philharmonia students Alison, Lyanne, Felicia, and Darianna stated that they were “Nervous to perform.” Speaking as an orchestra student, we all want the eighth graders to get our best effort and production. It can be nerve wracking when the day finally comes. However, I know we all look forward to the event and the growth of the upcoming freshman orchestra.
Overall, the West Side Festival is an exciting experience that helps to grow our orchestra program at Brien Mcmahon. The students, teachers, and parents all put forth great effort and care to make sure the eighth graders have the most accurate representation of our orchestra.
