Music is not just about playing notes. At least that is what Serge Penksik, orchestra director, believes.

Penksik is taking orchestra members Chicago to see an open rehearsal where students will be able to hear one of the best orchestras in the world rehearse and do a little Q&A on May 18, Penksik said.

“I think it will show [orchestra students]  the way real professional groups do it, how efficient they are with their time, how prepared they are with these rehearsals, and how attentive they are. I always want to show them what people who do it for a living look like. It’s the same thing if you compare a varsity baseball team with a pro team,” Penksik said. “You do it to show them that many, many levels over.”

Students will see up close professional musicians and it may help them realize the true importance of music education that Penksik says he tries to get across to his orchestra.

“It’s not about just playing notes and just learning the musical languages,” Penksik said. “I think it teaches people how to collaborate with one another because you are in a big group of people trying to do something together. [Orchestra] teaches how to be a good leader or a good follower or whatever role you’re in. It teaches people how to be responsible for preparing their own part [and being] responsible for knowing your place in the ensemble. It’s a large organization of people that functions well when everybody understands what their role is.”

Penksik hopes that the field trip to the Chicago symphony will help students focus on that deeper meaning of music and learn a thing or two by witnessing  what real professionals look like.

Amy Kerhmann, freshman orchestra member, has never been to see the Chicago symphony perform, as this is her first year in high school orchestra.

“I’m really excited because I think it will be a lot of fun seeing and hearing the musicians play during the rehearsal. Plus, I love going to Chicago,” Kerhmann said.

The field trip is meant to be a fun experience for students, but Penksik also wants students to focus on the educational lesson they can gain from the open rehearsal, he said.  

“Music education is not just teaching kids how to play an instrument or sing a song, it’s about teaching life skills that you can use later on in your adult careers. You will always work with people, it doesn’t matter if you are in the business world and you’re working in an office, but you will always work with people. Knowing how to be around people contributes a lot to your success. It’s not just about your skills it’s about your character and that’s what I stress a lot,” Penksik said.  “Yes, we do teach technique, we do teach all the other things makes us performers, but at the same time we also are concentrating on things at the deeper level.”

The field trip will last from 8am to 3pm, Penksik said, still allowing for students to participate in any after school activities they may have.