A Day of Strings at SMUS

5 October 2015Stephanie C, Allard ’16, String Ensemble Captain; Photo by Tristan Clausen, Dire

Last Friday, the Brentwood’s String Ensemble, led by Mr. Clausen, travelled to St. Michaels University School in Victoria for a day of strings master class. At SMUS, the five Brentwood violinists and our only cellist were joined by fifty other strings players from West Point Grey Academy & Crofton House School, who came all the way to the island from Vancouver on the early morning ferry. The group spent the day mastering the two movements, Intrada and Sarabande, from the string orchestral piece “Concerto Grosso” by Ralph Vaughan-Williams. With tips and advice from the members of the Lafayette String Quartet, the students were soon able to render the pieces at a higher level with their newly learnt skills and techniques. After lunch, the musicians were invited to attend a talk about Music and the Wellness in Life, given by Dr. Lee Bartel, who is the Acting Director of the Music and Health Research Collaboratory at the University of Toronto. At the end of the day, though everyone was exhausted and sound asleep on the bus ride back to school, I am sure that all six of us would agree that it had been an instructive and constructive experience. Thanks Mr. Clausen. Stephanie C, Allard ’16, String Ensemble Captain; Photo by Tristan Clausen, Director, Wind & String Ensembles

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