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Desert Wind Middle School Orchestra participated for the first time in the ABODA (Arizona Band and Orchestra Director’s Association) Fall Orchestra Festival on Friday.

The event was at Campo Verde High School in Gilbert. Desert Wind Orchestra gave a quality performance and earned praise for their fundamental skills and energy. They received excellent feedback for continuing to develop technique for beginning and intermediate players.

These sixth, seventh and eighth grade students followed their performance with a clinic from Cindy Petty, the artistic director and conductor of the East Valley Youth Symphony, artistic director and conductor of the Oregon Arts Orchestra, and managing director of Concert Productions for Music Celebrations International. The clinic focused on continuing to develop fundamental skills in intonation and styles of bowing.

Roger Wagner, Desert Wind Orchestra director, received direct feedback on what students were doing well and what to continue to focus instruction on.

“Fall Orchestra Festival was a great opportunity for our students to hear other orchestras, perform on a fantastic stage and receive feedback from Arizona’s best string teachers,” Wagner said. “This was also a first for our program. Our students put in a tremendous amount of work to prepare and perform for Festival in Quarter 1.”

In addition to their performance, Desert Wind Orchestra was able to listen to Maricopa High School Chamber Orchestra’s performance.

Orchestra will be joining Tiger Band and Symphonic Band for the Desert Wind Winter Instrumental Music Concert on Thursday, Nov. 15, at 7 p.m. in the Maricopa High School Performing Arts Center. The first concert of the year will feature a reprise Orchestra’s music prepared for Fall Festival. Admission is free, but the memories are priceless. Thank you for supporting Desert Wind Performing Arts.

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