Band is a big class and has quite a few instruments, from trombones to flutes to saxophones. GHS have a fairly large amount of the student body enrolled in band.

Take, for example, freshman Chloe Higley. Higley plays the clarinet, and for her, band is hard because she finds it difficult to reach certain notes and make the music sound right. Higley still loves it though. “It’s fun when everyone gets into the music,” she said.

The band teacher, Donald Mcguire, has been teaching for over 20 years. He said “I love it when students, using magic and performance, learn how much they are truly capable of.” 

Orchestra has instruments such as violins, cellos, violas, and bass. Orchestra is smaller than the GHS band, but it’s also very diverse,  Lindee Ussing, freshman, French-speaking, soccer-playing violinist, has been playing for 4 years since she was in 5th grade.

The orchestra teacher, Andrew Swan, who also teaches at the Jr High, has been teaching for about 8 years. He said he wants to “help people realize their potential,” and that’s why he teaches.

How are they different?

The main difference between band and orchestra is the types of instruments in each class. Band is very diverse and big, made of many different types of instruments like wind instruments, percussion instruments, brass instruments, and woodwind instruments. Orchestra has much less and consists of only string instruments. So you could say the music they make can be very different. Orchestra instruments create softer sounds, but with an underlying beat that you can feel in your bones. Band, on the other hand, is much more lively, lighting up the room and making your feet itch to dance. Of course, often times band creates gentler music, and other times orchestra gets lively.

How are they the same?

Though band and orchestra have quite a few major differences, they also have a few things in common. Take a professional orchestra, for example. Professional orchestras are made with all the basic orchestra instruments like violins or cellos, but they often combine band instruments like trumpets, trombones, clarinets, flutes, and many more with them. Together, they combine the beat of the percussion with the strength of brass, the coolness of a woodwind and the gentleness of a string to create music.