CHOIRS AND ORCHESTRAS, this is how we entered music.

Some time ago at a meeting of parents and representatives at the elementary school, where my 10 year old daughter was studying, my wife was talking to another representative and told her that her daughter was part of the Children's Orchestra and played the violin, she informed us what we had to do to join the orchestra. My wife, my daughter and I went to the place where the offices of the National System of Children's and Youth Orchestras of Sucre state are located, actually until now it has no headquarters, they were working in the headquarters of the College of Journalists, it is a house modified to give classes, we were attended by a secretary not so friendly, it is so with everyone who came, the requirements were very simple, proof of studies, 2 photographs and fill out the application, the class schedule Monday through Friday from 3 to 5 pm, almost always culminated at 6 pm. Now, how we divided our time to take her and pick her up, sometimes I would take them both to the orchestra and then pick them up, other times they would go by public transportation.

Children's Choir "Theatre Luis Mariano Rivera"

The National System of Children and Youth Orchestras of Venezuela was created by Maestro José Antonio Abreu in 1975. Participation in the Orchestra System is completely free, children or young people who wish to participate only must present themselves with the enthusiasm to learn to play a musical instrument, the requirements are minimal and is provided with the instrument under a loan contract to be signed by parents, is responsible for the care and maintenance of the instrument, it is exclusively for use in the presentations of the Orchestra System. Since the student enrolls begins learning both theoretical and practical, in a very short time is participating in concerts, although they are in the middle of learning, in this way the student is included to participate and improve every day. For more information: https://elsistema.org.ve/estructura-academica/

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My daughter started in the children's choir, that week there was a very important meeting of the Ministry of Justice, within its programming for the weekend was the presentation of the Children's and Youth Choir and Orchestras of Cumana, so it was her first public participation in the Luis Mariano Rivera Theater. How is that, it hasn't started for a week and it already has a presentation. We did not have to run a lot because of the uniform, white shirt and black pants, you can imagine our excitement, but we could not enter because the presentation was private and with a lot of police security.

After 1 month in the children's choir, she became part of the Children's Orchestra, so she started without an instrument in her first rehearsals, and then selected the instrument she liked. The instrument she selected was the Bassoon.

Photo by: Musical instruments

In the videos you will be able to appreciate the difference in sound of each instrument.

What is that? another neophyte of the musical world, even though I studied some folkloric instruments I did not know the Bassoon (this instrument is not folkloric), what I did know is that the instrument was bigger than her and each student has to carry her instrument once it is assigned to her (it is not the parents, it is the students that have to carry her instrument, except for the Bass and Percussion that are not given to the students because they are heavy instruments), I was wondering how I was going to carry it, but there were only a few instruments and they were not available, so I had to share with another student. They assigned an advanced student to be his tutor, but this girl did not participate much because of her university classes, she was getting bored because she had no instrument and almost no lessons, she was like this for three months, until the director, the Maestro Jhonny Potella, told her that she had to select another instrument.

Clarinet Solo

As her representatives we had to accompany her to select another instrument, which one do you like and what is available, .... the secretary answers, we have violin, cello... ...I like the Clarinet .... but there is no Clarinet, the secretary answers, we have Oboe, it is similar to the Clarinet .... well, ok give me that one. Not very happy I grab the Oboe, a small box, about 30 cm x 20 cm.

Photo by: Oboe & Clarinet

When we got home, we opened the box, put it together and started blowing without knowing how to do it, novices at last, my daughter researched on the internet about the Oboe and found something like this .... " The reason for tuning the Orchestra using the oboe, is that, among all the instruments of the orchestra, not counting the piano, is the one that has a more stable tone, remaining constant despite changes in temperature or humidity", her face lit up and said, I have the most important instrument of the Orchestra.

I would have liked to post a video of my daughter playing the Oboe, but I only have pictures.

From there the presentations began

Ayacucho Park Concert, Cumana, Sucre State

Looking for a way to integrate myself even more in the Children's Orchestra, I enrolled in a photography course passing the 3 levels as a photographer, that led me to buy my first semi-professional camera, I talked with the director of the Orchestra Maestro Jhonny Potella, to allow me to assist as a photographer of the Orchestra, I also wanted to create a billboard with the outstanding children, besides having a web page of the Children's Orchestra with the presentations, that each teacher and student would have his biography, all this would be free, I would not charge for that, but they did not give me an answer, time passed and I forgot about it.

Concert Cumana Plaza Shopping Mall, Cumana, Sucre state

I dedicated myself to take many photographs from any angle, I was allowed to do so because many of my photos were for the orchestra's reports that had to be sent to the headquarters.

Santa Inés Church Concert, Cumana, Sucre State

I took photo albums of the children's choir and orchestra, youth orchestra, symphonic choir and the lyric choir during rehearsals, in the warm-ups, in full concert, photos that remained only for me, I could not take them to the web without the corresponding permissions.

Youth Orchestra and Symphonic Choir, Luis Mariano Rivera Theater Concert, Cumana, Sucre State.

Many representatives took the students to the rehearsals and stayed around the school until the children left, it could be between 2 or 3 hours that the rehearsals lasted. The choir teacher decided to create the choir of parents of the students of the orchestra, so that the representatives would sign up but it did not work, however, I was enthusiastic about the idea and began to investigate, I met the maestro Edmundo Centeno Director of the Symphonic Choir of Sucre state and he accepted me in the group (later I will talk about it).

Concert in a place known as El Monumento, near the sea. The Children's, Youth and Symphonic choirs participated, accompanied by the Children's and Youth Orchestras from all over the state of Sucre.

I shared several presentations with my daughter in the Youth Orchestra and myself in the Symphonic Choir, this was one of those presentations.

Part of the repertory was:

• Arturo Márquez: Danzon Nº 2

• Beethoven: Shymphony Nº 1

• Beethoven: Shymphony Nº 5

• Damaso Perez: Mambo Nº 5

• Georg Haendel: Hallelujah

• Jhon Williams: Stars Wars

• José López: Río Manzanares

• Pablo Herrero y José Armenteros: Venezuela

• Tchaikovski: Shymphony Nº 4

• Christmas Popurri

• Many more

Remembering one of my daughter's birthdays, he surprised us when he blew out the candle, as always waiting for him to come closer to take the corresponding photograph, from the place where he was, approximately 2 meters away from the cake, he blew out the candle, we all stood still watching such a feat. At present she is studying a music degree and plays several instruments, she also works as a music teacher, she teaches on line and in person about music theory, piano, cuatro, guitar, bass... among other instruments.

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