Dayton Elementary Students Meet the Orchestra

by Jonathan Weaver and David Croyle

Nearly 40 Dayton Elementary students got to hear the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra St. Patrick’s Day.

Thursday, both Beth McCrea’s and Courtney Gould’s 2nd grade classes went on a field trip to Heinz Hall.

Elementary Music/Chorus and Band Teacher Patti Sands said it was lesson in music as well as concert etiquette.

“It was a ‘Meet the Instruments of the Orchestra’ type of concert, so they learned about the different families of instruments, how sound is produced, a little bit about how the different sections fit in an orchestra and gave them all a little conducting lesson,” Sands said. “I think part of it too is we want to teach our kids how to behave, how to be a good part of an audience so that was one thing we really stressed before we left.

“A lot of them had not been to something like this before, so we wanted to address that too: how to sit properly, sit still, be a good listener and clap at the end of the songs.”

Instrument families identified included strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion.

Sands added that the concert was funded through the Orchestra and that PTO volunteers fundraised for bus transportation into Pittsburgh.

According to the orchestra’s website, the St. Patrick’s Day concert – with a six song playlist conducted by Assistant Conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong - began at 10:30AM, and similar concerts will be held Tuesday, April 5 through Friday, April 8.