Chorus and orchestra teacher Amy Davis’s sixth- and seventh-period orchestras participated in a sight-reading workshop at Disney Springs on Jan. 29.

“We learned useful skills that we can use whenever we need to sight-read,” Hendrickson said.

Sight-reading is when a musician plays a piece of music for the first time, which is required for the Music Performance Assessment event the orchestras will attend in March.

“The challenge of sight-reading is to perform as well as possible without that preparation time,” strings consultant Laura Pinfield said.

According to Pinfield, the event was well-planned, with a conductor giving the students tips on how to sight-read successfully.

“The workshop was overall very fun, and we got to play a song … from a segment of ‘Mulan,’” Hendrickson said.

Pinfield said the success of the workshop was partially due to the environment.

“Because the learning environment included a stage, a fun clinician, bright lights and recording, the students were very attentive,” she said. “Their focus was razor sharp, which is exactly what is required for successful sight-reading.”

After the workshop, the students ate lunch, then walked around Disney Springs and browsed the shops before returning to school.

“I thought it was valuable for the students, and myself as well,” Pinfield said. “Now our goal is to apply what we learned, and also to call upon our ability to focus with everything we’ve got.”

By Chloe Seifert