Edward Dong, member of Philharmonic Orchestra and sophomore, packs up his violin at the end of the day. He said he has recently been preparing for the ISSMA (Indiana State Music Association) Competition and has benefited from the new practice recordings. “ISSMA is basically our main priority now,” Dong said.

The CHS Orchestras have been practicing and preparing for the upcoming ISSMA (Indiana State School Music Association) competition, which, according to director of orchestras Elisabeth Ohly-Davis, will take place during the weekend after spring break for the Concert, Sinfonia and Festival Orchestras.

“Concert Orchestra, Sinfonia and Festival are kind of revving things up because we’ve got two and a half weeks left,” Ohly-Davis said. “(The competition’s) getting close, so things are getting intense.”

To help the students practice in preparation for ISSMA and for future concerts, the orchestra directors have implemented a new practicing system in which students will record and submit their practicing to reach a certain time requirement.

“The recording the practicing is twofold,” Ohly-Davis said. “It’s sort of like a checkpoint to see if you’re actually practicing, and it’s also very helpful because I’m checking the recordings fairly frequently, and it lets me see how people are practicing. I think it’s very important just to help students practice because I feel like that’s where a missing link is.”

Edward Dong, member of Philharmonic Orchestra and sophomore, also said the practice recordings were helpful.

“I think it really helps me manage my time better so I can make sure I’m actually practicing and not just cramming at the end,” Dong said. By Wendy Zhu