Cooper Symphonic Orchestra, under the direction of Ms. Bo-Min Son, received straight I's, the highest level of achievement in the Virginia State Middle School Orchestra Assessment on March 9 at Kenmore Middle School.
The orchestra performed pieces at Grade IV level, the level that is typically performed by advanced middle school/young high school groups throughout the county. Their performance included Lullaby by Hofeldt, Toccata by Frescobaldi, and The Dance of Iscariot by Moiser. The orchestra participated in the sight-reading session, where they were given seven minutes to look through a new piece of music that they had never seen before without playing it on instruments, then performed it for a judge, receiving an overall of a “Superior” rating (the highest).
Cooper Middle School is a member of District XII of the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association, which includes schools from the northern region of Fairfax Country and neighboring Arlington County. At the annual assessment, a panel of three professional adjudicators is assembled to critique the participating ensembles and judge them against state standards for excellence in performance, sight-reading, musicianship and orchestral skills.