Fifth graders' first concert of the year begins with jitters, ends with applause, By Eddie Wood

Pine Island - On the night of Feb. 15, fifth graders at Pine Island Elementary School had their first concert of the school year. The students had mixed emotions, but almost all kids had one thing in common on stage: fear. They were afraid of many things, like messing up, being to too loud or too quiet, or sounding, as one student said, “sort of sickening.” On stage, though, the fifth grade musicians felt like it was a great experience and said later they were glad they got up on stage. Others felt “odd because of laughter.” And, as one kid put it: “When I was playing my instrument, it felt awesome!” The first section of the concert was orchestra conducted by Mrs. Tammy Howe. The musicians played a bunch of beautiful songs, such as “Jingle Bells,” “Mozart Melody” and “Lightly Row.” The second part of the program was conducted by Mrs. Nicola Policriti, who was meeting the band members of Pine Island the first time that day because Mrs. Ashley Head was pregnant. Mrs. Policriti got greeted with roaring applause after conducting songs such as “Lightly Row,” “Au Claire De La Lune” and “Frere Jacque.” Finally, the chorus was conducted by Ms. Jodie Jacque, and fifth-graders sang their hearts out in four beautiful songs that got a standing applause. While some kids said after the show that they were proud to make the audience happy, others said they could’ve done better. After the concert, kids could finally get back to their everyday life. That is until the next concert.