Do any small amount of searching in Google for phrases like “why join an orchestra” and you’ll start to notice that most articles cover reasons to play with a school music group. But what about reasons to join your local community orchestra?
Many groups are on the lookout for new members, so there’s no shortage of opportunity out there. However, there is also no shortage of reasons why you, as an adult, should audition for a local group like the Parker Symphony.
Here are just 10 of the many compelling reasons to join a local symphony orchestra.
- Meet New People: Whether you’re new to an area or a longtime resident, you’re bound to meet new people when you join your community orchestra and the best part is that these people share a common interest – a love for playing music. Some may be music professionals like performers and educators. Others may be amateurs with non-music day jobs. But all come together to practice and perform the thing that they love. You’ll not only be able to socialize with others who can relate to your love of classical music, but you may form new friendships and find new contacts who can help you in other areas of your life (career, for example).
- Build Up Confidence: If you haven’t been an active performer in a while, but still have the dedication and talent, playing in an orchestra can help give you that confidence to perform again – especially if you play in a section with others. Maybe you can still play the pieces you know well, but your sight-reading skills are a little rusty. Or perhaps you are used to playing as a soloist so you aren’t sure of your ability to follow a conductor or listen and adjust to other players. No matter the reason, a community orchestra offers a venue for you to re-establish yourself as a group performer.
- Express Yourself!: This almost goes without saying. Music in any genre is a form of self-expression. Community orchestras are an excellent creative outlet for adults.
- Escape the Day-to-Day: Life is full of daily stresses. Work, family, bills, and other responsibilities can take their toll. Playing in an orchestra, on the other hand, requires a great deal of focus. For that reason, rehearsals and concerts can be a great way to divert your attention away from day-to-day troubles, stress, and to-do lists.
- Challenge Yourself!: Just because members of community orchestras aren’t paid doesn’t mean they play easy pieces. Sure, we’ve all played our fair share of parts that require little to no practice, but for each of those, there are many Beethoven pieces or John Williams scores that we spend hours on. And don’t forget about the occasional solo you may encounter.
- Maintain (or increase) Coordination: As we age, our motor skills tend to decline. Playing an instrument can help maintain or even increase coordination including fine motor skills.
- Inspire Others: Symphony orchestra concerts are a source of inspiration for the surrounding community. Audiences range from children to seniors and from young to young-at-heart. Students who attend may be inspired to pick up an instrument and join their school band or orchestra. Other adults may decide to audition for your group or listen to more classical music. Some orchestras also put on special programs like free children’s concerts specifically designed to educate and inspire.
- Improve Your Résumé: Are you looking to advance your career? Are you early in your career path and looking to beef up your résumé? Listing that you perform with a community orchestra can not only catch employers’ eyes, but also gives you something to point to when asked about teamwork, dedication, working well with others, and self-improvement.
- Keep Your Mind Active: In addition to helping with coordination, playing music with an orchestra can help keep your mind active. Not only are you perhaps learning new things, you are literally giving your brain a workout. Performing with an orchestra is an intellectually demanding exercise and the proof of that is how mentally exhausted, but satisfied you feel after a good rehearsal.
- Have Fun!: Last, but definitely not least, joining a community orchestra is a great way to have fun. Unlike professional groups that are highly competitive (for a good reason), local community symphonies are often made up of people who simply want to have fun doing something they love.
Are you looking for a fun community orchestra to join in the Denver metro area? Check out the Parker Symphony. We hold typically hold auditions in August and ad hoc throughout the rest of the year. See our Auditions page for more information.