By Victoria Figueroa
The Lane Music Department has three children. Band is the first child; loud, rambunctious and lively. Orchestra is the second; disciplined, quieter and more relaxed. And the third child, Chorus, is constantly singing and always trying to have fun.
Like all siblings, the three branches of the music department are bound to clash.
But what are the differences? All three make music, don’t they?
Well for one, band and orchestra members play an instrument.
“I guess it’s the whole instrumentation of [the music] versus vocalization. In orchestra and band you are physically holding something,” said Mylan Siscar, Div. 266, a cellist and a percussionist.
One difference between band and orchestra is that band has a larger variety of instruments. Each instrument makes its own sound and with all those different sounds, band members are able to enrich the music they play. While band has over 10 instruments, orchestra has five at the most.
“In band we can do a lot more,” percussionist Megan Guzman, Div. 362, said. “I think the music that [band plays] is a lot better.”
Guzman believes that the wide variety of instruments and sounds is what makes band more capable of playing better music. She also points out the different groups that are within band: concert band, pep band, and symphonic band; all of which orchestra does not have.
Orchestra member Maeve McMahon, Div. 585 disagrees with the notion that band plays better music than orchestra does.
“Our pieces are more classical and band is a little more upbeat,” McMahon said, “I like the pieces we play better.”
Some musicians prefer to remain neutral on the matter, until they are asked to choose which branch of the music department is the best.
“With my friends we just joke around, but if it’s having people choose between the three, then yeah it’s like ‘no forget you, this is where it’s at. Choir’,” said Diana Chaidez Div.382.
Though there is competition between each branch of the music department, band, orchestra, and choir retain a level of respect for each other.
“[Each branch] is difficult at their own level,” said baritone player Luis Vazqez, Div. 350. “I respect both groups.”
Vazqez says it takes courage to sing and patience to learn to play an instrument for orchestra, both of which he doesn’t think he can do. Vazqez points out the amount of time it would take to learn and memorize where to place his fingers on a violin and then learn all the different shifts in order to play a bigger instrument like the bass and the cello.
Though they may yell, scream and throw fits, the music departments three children love to perform and make music: something they will never disagree on.
