The
Shenandoah Youth Wind Orchestra
The main
purpose of the SYWO is to provide a unique larger
performing ensemble where instrumental music students from
every middle and high school, as well as home-schooled
students, may come together, not to compete, but to learn
and work together for the production of beautiful music.
The
Shenandoah Youth Wind Orchestra is envisioned as a
“community band for kids”, generally for band students in
middle school and high school, with the predominate grades
projected as 7th, 8th, and 9th. In a unique instrumentation
format, string players (violin, viola, cello, bass) are also
invited to join, and will be provided appropriate parts to
play. The merging of the traditional “band” and the
traditional “orchestra” students into one ensemble will
provide a uniquely blended sound, as well as a larger
community ensemble, which will be more stimulating and
exciting for the students, their families, and the community
in general. Rehearsals are held once weekly, in the
afternoon between school and dinner time. Ideally, we
project rehearsals being held at Maury River Middle School,
which has a larger band room and adjacent facilities for
sectionals. Rehearsals are two hours in length. The first 45
minutes will consist of sectional rehearsals (woodwinds,
brass, percussion, etc), which will include rhythmic drills
and excercises. There will then be a 15-minute refreshment
and socializing break, followed by the full Wind Orchestra
rehearsal for the remaining hour. If the group attains the
size of 30 or more members, there will be one or two Section
Specialists, who will run group sectionals, supervise the
break, and assist the Conductor in the full rehearsal.
Peter
Del Vecchio – Artistic Director
Peter
Del Vecchio holds a Masters degree in Music Performancefrom
Montclair State University (NJ) and a Bachelor of Arts
degree in Music Education from Rutgers University. He is
currently the Director of Bands at Southern Virginia
University in Buena Vista, VA, and is a founding member of
The Lexington Brass Quintet. Mr. Del Vecchio is the founding
conductor of The Rutgers University Alumni Wind Symphony
(1983) and the Ramsey (NJ) Wind Symphony (1986), among
others. In 2006 he established a similar youth group:
The New
Jersey Youth Wind Symphony, which was very successful. He
was also recognized as a Distinguished Teacher of Chamber
Music by The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in
1994. In addition, he was appointed by the mayor and served
as Chairman of the Ramsey Fine Arts Council, a municipal
government commission in Ramsey, NJ, from 2003 through 2006.
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