The halls of Anthony and Eisenhower middle schools filled with music last week on March 31 as Manhattan High School symphonic orchestra visited to mentor younger students. MHS students encouraged middle school students to continue their musical education as they transition to high school.

For the high schoolers, the trip was also a way to say hello to their middle school teachers that have helped them on their music and academic journey.

“I really enjoyed going back to middle school because it’s been like three years since I’ve seen teachers there,” sophomore Nathan Chen said. “Also, getting to be with new people that play instruments like I do was really fun.”

The high schoolers answered questions to help the younger students’ nerves about the future. Many of the middle school students were still very nervous about playing orchestra in high school, making the visit even more important.

“Getting to answer their questions, they seemed to be more comfortable next year if they join the orchestra,” Chen said.

The orchestra played a few songs with the 8th graders to try to make them feel more confident in their musical ability.

“We played some music for them and answered questions they had about the school and the orchestra, and then played with them some more,” sophomore Spenser Cunningham said. “They seemed to enjoy it.”

Cunningham also saw that middle schoolers were curious about the audition process for the symphonic and chamber groups. 

“The best part was probably just playing for them, letting them see what we do,” Chen said

The highlight for many was also the collaborative playing session, where the two age groups performed together.

“I think the best experience for us was playing with the eighth graders,” Cunningham said. “They were playing music that was a lot of fun to play while still being relatively easy, at least for us. So that was a lot of fun.”