Drew Baty and Shannon Bullen –

CV Student Media –  

The 2015 Castle View Orchestra Feeder Festival was more than just a group of talented musicians gathering together to show all they can do. This year, it was different.

It was a musical party of a highly ranked Castle View orchestra inspiring the younger age developing artists. Kids from seven different schools from the Castle View Feeder area got to watch their role models perform at the highest level. It was a place for hundreds of students to bond over the love of music. It was a night to remember.

For many high school students, this exact night many years ago was the reason they continued to play. Junior Karl Barstad was one of the people who remembered this event as a great time in his past.

“When I was a kid, I remember thinking that the older group was really cool. I was impressed by how well they performed together,” he said.

For others, the annual Orchestra Feeder Festival reminded them why they loved music in the first place. “Towards the end of middle school, I wasn’t sure about whether or not I wanted to continue orchestra in high school. This night inspired me to continue on,” said freshman London Noon.

Performing with high schoolers seemed to be daunting at first, but as the night went on, the elementary students began to fit right in.

“It’s good for the little kids to play with us. It gives them experience if they continue to do orchestra and it’s good for them to see what the older orchestras are doing,” said senior Holly Sydney. “I know that they all like to see what the older kids are doing; they like the change of scenery.”

For many of the younger kids, this was the largest crowd they’d played in front of in their entire musical career. “It’s good for the little kids to practice performing in front of bigger groups of people. It’s good practice for when they get into high school so it’s gonna be easier,” said Noon.

Many of the younger students looked up towards the teenagers in the Castle View High School Orchestra as their role models. This event allowed the younger kids to get a good look at who they wanted to be in the next few years. “I think it lets them see what they can do in the future”, said junior Audrae Hensen.

Along with being role models, the high schoolers were also looked up to as mentors by the younger ones. “It’s really fun for me to be able to be someone who can teach them [the younger students] and help them better themselves,” said freshman Nelson Rollingson.

Standing on the Castle View stage that night were many generations of talented and dedicated musicians. From first-timers to seniors, the night was filled with inspiration and learning.

“It was really nice to see all of the kids in each stage of their music career,” said Barstad. Although everyone got something different out of the festival, all of the students could agree that it was, without a doubt, a night to remember.