Orchestra students learn by mentoring

MILFORD — Dingman-Delaware Middle School orchestra students are mentoring beginning and cadet orchestra students, staying after school every Wednesday and Thursday to work with the third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade orchestra students in the Dingman-Delaware Elementary School.

The mentors help students one-on-one who need extra support not available during a group rehearsal. Under the direction of Cynthia Stine, the students have taken on a range of duties, include tuning students who need it, identifying struggling students, sitting in various positions of the orchestra to aid these struggling students, and helping to correct instrument fingerings or music reading.

The mentors have also assisted Mrs. Stine by occasionally conducting warm-ups when necessary, a perfect practice for middle school orchestra mentor Ashley Kizis, who hopes to be a music teacher one day.

At the end of rehearsal, while waiting for bus dismissals, the mentors lead games that reinforce note reading skills.

Sydney Cadogan started the violin in third grade and has attended every mentorship session since the beginning of the school year.

“It’s really fun being able to go down to help with the kids and know that they’re learning something,” Sydney said.

Fellow violinist Olivia O’Grady, who started the violin privately in second grade, added, “It would’ve been helpful to have had a mentor then.” Clearly, for these mentors, the educational adage, “teaching is the highest form of learning,” has taken on real life.