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live local profile achieve success. ?we are not in the business of turning
music
ians away based on their inabilities, but rather giving them an opportunity to grow their skills,? continues torns. local
music
ian, alexander acosta played with the
lyo
for eight years. having access to learning
music
, beyond school, had a huge impact on him. ?playing in a full orchestra is such an incredible experience. i think it is so important for young
music
ians to participate.? says alexander. learning additional life skills is part of participation in the
lyo
. david torns notes, ?these
students
are creative, empathetic, and emotional people, and they are aware of their impact on society.? this is important because participation in the
lyo
is a true commitment. practices are held at the lsu school of
music
, and there are typically nine weeks of rehearsals in between each concert. while there is regular rehearsal time, torns stresses, ?every
music
ian has a responsibility to practice and learn their part to the best of their ability, so that when we all come together as a team, we can focus on making
music
together.? the
lyo
also provides social opportunities. local mom and chair of the
lyo
committee, laura acosta, shares, ?alex played in his school
music
program, but
lyo
provided the opportunity for alex to play with young
music
ians outside of his school, which also enabled him to make new friends,? the
lyo
has a positive impact on both
students
and their families. laura adds, ?even though alex is no longer an
lyo
music
ian, i continue to serve as the committee chair because i feel so strongly that the program is an important part of the young
music
ians scene of the baton rouge area.? ? there are currently 150
students
participating as members of the youth orchestra. with the help of conductors jennifer cassin and chase gillett, the
lyo
is able to provide
music
education at a very high artistic level. they focus on building trust, responsibility, and encouragement, while also holding the
students
to high artistic standards. some positions within the
lyo
are competitive, but not all. ?
students
are selected through an audition process beginning in late august,? says torns. ?some positions in the high school ensemble are competitive, as an orchestra can only take so many of certain instruments.? however, the audition process is for placement within the correct ensemble to help each student ? p articipating in
music
has a profound impact on children and youth. when playing in an ensemble,
students
learn countless life skills, including the importance of showing up on time, responsibility, discipline, social skills, and the ability to view things out of the box,? shares david torns, associate conductor of the baton rouge symphony orchestra. as a part of the mission of the baton rouge symphony orchestra, the louisiana youth orchestra (
lyo
) is beyond
music
lessons; it is a combination of four ensembles that provide orchestral training through weekly rehearsals. as david torns expresses, the
lyo
enhances
students
?
music
abilities, but it also goes beyond playing an instrument. by melanie forstall lemoine, ph.d. making
music
together 3 0 b r p a r e n t s . c o m | a p r i l 2 0 1 9
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