It was another sign of spring in Marlton on the night of April 7 when Marlton Elementary School held its annual spring concert.
The event was a chance for the elementary school orchestra, band and choir students to perform for their parents and showcase the dividends of their practice from throughout the year.
Laraine Sindoni, music teacher and fourth- and fifth- grade chorus director, said the students performed their routines for their peers at a school assembly the previous Friday, and since it went well, everyone was feeling confident about the nighttime event.
“The parents love it,” Sindoni said. “It’s just a good opportunity for the parents to see what we’ve been working on.”
The night’s music was a combination of both classic and modern pieces, ranging from the spring concerto of Antonio Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons,” to the theme song of “The Pink Panther,” to “Let it Go,” from Disney’s “Frozen.”
The chorus also previewed some songs and dialogue from the school’s upcoming spring musical “Summer Camp.”
Sindoni said that while the chorus performs a winter concert as well, the band and orchestra practice through the fall and put their groups and rehearsals together in January, so the spring concert was the big moment for the band and orchestra to show all they had accomplished.
However, the chorus is still invited to the spring concert for a chance to come along and be a part of the show.
“My big culmination is the May 29 musical,” Sindoni said. “We have a drama club that participates in that as well as the chorus, and we have a dance group as well. That’s kind of our big culmination, and they invite us to join in on this as a little preview for our musical, which kind of gets the word out.”
Even principal Julio Feldman made a brief appearance in the show by acting as a baseball announcer during the band’s performance of “Batter Up.” Feldman said the instrumental teacher asked him if he
would have a small part in the concert, and the school was fortunate to have a strong music department.
“We have an excellent staff,” Feldman said. “We have two instrumental teachers, each of them are here two days a week. We have a vocal teacher who’s here every day. Every child sees the vocal teacher once a week. We’re very fortunate. This district values the arts, and in this case our music program.”
Feldman said a strong arts and music program is important for children because it’s important for them to develop passion or a love of something.
“I don’t have a musical background, and I regret that I don’t have a musical background, but I still enjoy music,” Feldman said. “It’s just wonderful that the younger you are and the more you’re exposed to the arts, music being one of them, the more you’re able to appreciate everything around you.”
String instrumental music teacher and orchestra director Jayne Weiner echoed those sentiments and said music was a discipline that promotes teamwork, persistence and patience with oneself, which all lead to greater rewards in life.
“The best thing about music is it just feels good to play music,” Weiner said. “You can’t put it into words. Words won’t describe.”
Parent Del Larluz was at the concert to support his daughter Angelica who played the flute and sang in the choir. He said it was important to his daughter and important to parents to see that there are other activities going on at schools beside academics that can keep kids interested.
“It works well with their temperament,” Larluz said. “It works well with just their positive view of schools. It breaks down education for them and makes it a little more fun for them. It gives them the building blocks for what they need to be better human beings.”
Parent Michelle Portanova brought flowers for her daughter Anna, who played trumpet. Portanova said Anna loves instrumental teacher and band director Rob Fox and learned a lot from him this year.
“We’re very proud of her,” Portanova said. “She’s worked very hard, practiced a lot along with all the other activities she’s doing. It’s a lot for a kid to have on their plate, but we’re very proud of her working so hard. I know she’s really excited to perform tonight.”
