‘They proved they can do hard things’: Madison Junior High orchestra director reflects on Lincoln Center performance
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REXBURG – For the Madison Junior High orchestra, performing at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts wasn’t just a milestone — it was a moment that reshaped how these young musicians see themselves.
Orchestra director Ariel Loveland told EastIdahoNews.com that although the performance was the primary goal, the trip offered students a chance to experience landmarks such as the Museum of Natural History, the 9/11 Memorial, and the Statue of Liberty.
“Going to the Statue of Liberty makes you grateful for your country. Going to the 9/11 Museum makes you grateful for human life. Going to the Museum of Natural History makes you grateful for the creations all around us,” Loveland says.
For Loveland, however, the highlight of the trip was being at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts with her students, where they played “with their entire hearts.”
“The crowning moment for me was the infectious energy of this (orchestra) and the whole hall itself,” she recalls.
The group’s hard work and passion paid off, as they were rewarded with an “immediate” standing ovation, Loveland says.
“I was overcome. I almost started bawling because their applause for this group was so special and so sincere. And we stood there quite a long time,” she recalls.
Loveland told EastIdahoNews.com that the community’s support made the trip to New York a reality. The orchestra held a fundraising concert in October to help cover the cost of instrument rentals and other travel expenses.
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“I just wanted to thank our community at large. Because the fundraiser went so well, we were able to pay for all the rentals and more,” Loveland says.
“(We were) able to get students there who really needed and appreciated the experience,” she adds. “Without the support last October, it would have been really hard to make this happen for a lot of kids.”
In many ways, the performance marked the high point of the students’ year. However, Loveland says they have returned with a renewed thirst for learning.
“They’ll ask me, like, what I’m going to teach them next. … They’re ready when I put the next thing in front of them.”
Preparing for the performance taught the students lessons they can take with them throughout their lives, Loveland tells EastIdahoNews.com.
“My ultimate goal is to really fill the world with beautiful sound. But first, I’m building people,” she says.
One of those building blocks is the importance of working toward goals.
“They know that it’s not just instant gratification,” she says. “They know it’s little bit by little bit built upon one another. … They proved they can do hard things at a young age. They were determined.”
That mindset didn’t just shape how they practiced — it reshaped how they showed up for each other, turning individual effort into something collective.
“I would say another thing (they learned) is actually just camaraderie and rapport,” Loveland says. “The feeling of oneness, of team, that we aren’t whole without each other. And the sound depends on many people. … And every single student’s bow flying across the string mattered — where they placed it, where they placed their finger, if they were watching, if they were listening.”
And from that shared responsibility came something more lasting than a single performance — a sense of confidence built note by note.
“They got the standing ovation — not me,” Loveland says. “And, hopefully, that confidence will carry through their life and help them as they grow and develop.”
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