YOSAL’s new Prelude orchestra builds a bridge for beginner musicians.

This fall, Youth Orchestra Salinas (YOSAL) launched its Prelude orchestra to help beginner musicians take a more confident step toward playing in a larger ensemble.

Before Prelude, students could move from a year of beginner instruction at the Overture ensembles directly into the Intermezzo orchestra. YOSAL found it daunting for students because in the first year of instruction they are only allocated with their family of instruments.

“But then by bringing this new class Prelude that allows the students to have the first encounter with orchestra music,” says YOSAL Program Director Diana Ramírez-Rosales. “Another reason why Prelude was implemented was because we wanted to recruit more students, and we wanted to open more room rather than just saturate the intermediate orchestra.”

The program began on Tuesday, Sept. 8 and consists of third graders and above, with a total of 31 students. Gregory Messa is the new music director for the Prelude orchestra and the other ensembles.

“Greg was our percussion teaching artist for a full year, and now he's doing both roles. And he is the one that is starting this ensemble, so it's a very exciting time,” Ramírez-Rosales adds.

Prelude gives students their first experience playing together in a full orchestra, where they can build confidence, strengthen their reading and technical skills, and learn to listen and respond to one another.

Fourth grader, Vincent Lorenzo who is home schooled and lives in East Salinas, joined the Prelude orchestra after completing a year with the Overture ensemble and says the programs at YOSAL allow him to make friends and the new orchestra permits him to better understand the violin and the music. 

“I like playing the concert songs whenever I'm playing the violin and I like practicing the scales. My favorite scale is D major,” Lorenzo says.

Lorenzo uses a three-fourths size violin, an intermediate fractional instrument typically designed for players aged 9 to 12 and is provided for free by YOSAL.

Students work through the Essential Elements curriculum, progressing from book one in the Overture ensemble to book two in the Prelude orchestra, while learning ensemble fundamentals such as tuning, arriving prepared and playing their individual parts independently, according to Ramírez-Rosales.

This is Prelude's first year, requiring students to commit to attendance and home practice. Lorenzo dedicates 30 minutes a day in practicing the violin and hopes to be a part of a large ensemble when he gets older.

The full Prelude orchestra meets Mondays from 3:30pm-4:30pm; and winds, brass & percussion students meet on Thursday at the same time while the string players meet on Fridays at the same time.

Ramírez-Rosales said the Prelude orchestra is off to an encouraging start: “We’re learning a lot, but we're excited to see it through.”