Butler Area School District’s orchestra seniors rock farewell concert
On May 14, all seniors in the Butler Rock Orchestra performed their final concert. They performed many songs like “Enter Sandman,” “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” “Crazy Train” and “Walk This Way.” The first note lit up the room and immediately drew everyone's attention to the stage.
Rock Orchestra originated in 2016 and is composed of top orchestra students in grades eight to12 at the Butler Area School District who have positive attitudes and excel in individual performance. They only meet once a week, every Wednesday from 3:05 to 4:15 p.m.
Most of the seniors have been playing in the Rock Orchestra for five years and have left a lasting mark on the group. They have worked tirelessly to learn these additional songs, on top of the ones for the regular orchestra.
Senior Rylee Colteryahn said she has cherished every moment, and she hopes that younger members will do the same.
“Don’t take time with the orchestra for granted,” she said. “Just like everything else in life, there are always challenges to overcome, and you will always have frustrating moments, but push through and make the memories. Enjoy every moment, because you will never get it back.”
Rock Orchestra is an especially active group: Just this year, they played three concerts and had one elementary school tour. This group has to be able to learn music quickly, while staying on top of schoolwork and finding a good amount of practice time.
“These students are involved in a multitude of other activities, and I give them challenging music,” said Katie Black, the orchestra director. “They make it happen with a smile. They are hardworking, determined young leaders.”
The seniors have had many challenges throughout their journey in Rock Orchestra, but their biggest challenge was learning with a new orchestra teacher.
Rachel Crust filled in as the long-term substitute for Black while she was on maternity leave. Only being her first year of teaching, Crust was excited for the challenge.
“To me, Rock Orchestra is a group of students who are willing to go above and beyond for a team and will put in the work,” she said. “These students are a wonderful group who all have something in common.”
After the Rock Orchestra concert, Crust said she was very happy with how their concert went.
“I am so proud of this electric group and everything they have done this year,” she said.
Senior cello player Blaise Steele has been a part of this outstanding group for six years. With his aggressive style of playing, he was an ideal fit for Rock Orchestra.
“I remember going all the way back in sixth and seventh grade and seeing the Rock Orchestra perform at the winter concert,” he said. “It was incredible! I knew then that I wanted to be a part of that group, so I started taking lessons to improve myself.”
Seniors, just like him, have so many amazing memories together, but there are always ones that are more special to them.
“I think the best memories I had were from the field trip to the Pittsburgh Symphony,” he said. “Everything was so memorable about that trip, from the terrible, bland pasta to the insane pianist and the bus ride with him. It was all unforgettable.”
Patryk Lyon, a senior violin player who has been playing with the Rock Orchestra for six years now, plays his instrument like no one’s watching. He uses all of his emotions to play his best.
“I enjoyed playing ‘Devil Went Down to Georgia’ the most. It’s a piece that everyone knows and a piece that I knew I wanted to play someday as soon as I started playing the violin,” he said. “It was such a surreal experience to be able to not only play it but sing it with the orchestra as well.”
With their last performance, Patryk put everything into this concert to make it his best.
“It does sting that it’s over, but at the same time, I’m really glad we went out with a good performance,” he said. “My time with the Rock Orchestra may be over, but it will always be a great program, and I will always be there to support it at every event they do.”
Rylee, a senior viola player, who has been playing with the Rock Orchestra for the last five years, knew she wanted to join this breathtaking group because she likes challenging herself.
Rylee said she loves helping her community, whether it’s playing for her church or playing for others at their concerts.
“As musicians, we have the opportunity to share our gifts and bring joy to people in our community,” she said.
With their years of experience coming to an end, the seniors look at the bright side of their time with the Rock Orchestra.
“It’s bittersweet knowing that my time with the Rock Orchestra is over,” Rylee said. “It has been a part of my life for the last five years, so it’s hard to say goodbye, yet at the same time, I am so grateful for all the experiences I had with the Rock Orchestra and the friendships I made.”
Paige Singer and Hadley Wisniewski are seventh-graders in the Butler Area School District.
Taking Flight: An Eagle student journalism project
Taking Flight is a student journalism project conducted by the Butler Eagle to encourage responsible journalism and inspire more informed readers.
The project encourages students in seventh to 12th grade to write an article or review an event in the community or at their school. Articles were submitted for review and were edited by the Eagle staff.
The article is then published in an edition of SOAR, a student newspaper produced by the Butler Eagle in cooperation with area school districts, or in the newspaper itself.
