LONGMEADOW — Music is a labor of love for the musicians of the Longmeadow High School symphony orchestra. On April 26, 2025, that labor will pay off as the orchestra is one of only six in schools across 11 states that has been invited to play at the National Association for Music Education’s 58th Eastern Division In-Service Conference.
Eight student musicians sat in a circle with their teacher, Arthur Thovmasian, in the large room where the orchestra spends time in and out of class practicing. Each of the students, mostly juniors and seniors, is a section leader.
“Section leaders are responsible for coordinating your section and the sections group together to form the whole band,” saxophonist Nicholas Christoforakis explained. “It’s highly effective for developing your leadership skills.” Arianna Sluis said she thinks about the responsibility of being a section leader, “quite often.” The students practice as a string class and a wind ensemble and then meet every couple of weeks so all 85 students can play together as a symphony orchestra.
Last year, Thovmasian sent recordings of the symphony orchestra to the National Association for Music Education. He was recently informed that the orchestra was selected to play at the conference in Hartford. The association expects up to 1,000 attendees, in addition to the 700 students playing in ensembles.
“It’s definitely nerve-wracking, but it’s a big honor,” violinist Amadda Vo said of playing at the conference.
Christoforakis said, “Band and orchestra at LHS isn’t like other classes. No other class spends as much time and works together like that. There’s large portions of my life I wouldn’t be involved in without it.”
Vo said, “For most of us, we’ve been in music for almost all our lives. It’s a passion.” Sluis credited her grandfather, a conductor and French horn player, with instilling in her a passion for music, although she said the French horn was not for her. Instead, she plays the trumpet. Cellist Yejun Kim said he plays in the orchestra simply because “it’s fun.”
For Vo, being a part of orchestra and band is about more than a love of playing music. She said the community built through music is a large part of what the students value. Sluis pointed out that that community is not exclusive to LHS. They have made connections and friends with musicians from other schools around the state.
Thovmasian later shared comments from Jasmine Leng, a flautist, who was not present when her fellow section leaders spoke. She said, “We get the ability from attending so many different musical events — [Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors Association], Senior Districts, orchestra/band exchanges — hearing other groups perform, and receiving feedback from conductors and judges. It makes it much easier to expand our understanding of ensemble playing, sometimes not even consciously but purely through existing in that sort of environment.”
Thovmasian attributed the students’ diligence for getting them to the conference. “We have really devoted students that work really hard and push themselves to their limit,” he said.
He also noted, “This senior class was the first to have four normal years since [COVID-19].”
\Christoforakis explained, “It’s impossible to play music online. You can’t sync up over Zoom. You can practice on your own, but playing with other people is a big part of learning.” Felix Zhou, who plays violin, added, “We can hear improvements as we play together.”
“Between my freshman year and now as a senior, I’ve learned a lot about what it means to play in a group, that it’s not just a matter of correct technique but also a matter of meshing with the sounds of 60-plus other people and maintaining a sense of musicality.”
The students said they would not have been chosen for the conference without the instruction of Thovmasian. He makes the students work hard, Sluis said, but that work makes them better musicians and has prepared them for opportunities like the conference. She said, “From day one, we’ve been working toward something big.”
Yewon Kim, who plays viola, agreed with Sluis, saying, “He’s so passionate. He’s been willing to meet with us. He literally comes to school at night to work with us.”
Leng summed up sentiments from many of her fellow musicians, saying, “It’s really exciting to continue on that path of learning at All-Eastern and see all our progress thus far build up to a performance like this one, especially for the seniors.”
