Goshen Community Schools

Sean Patrick joined Goshen Community Schools District joining the program in 2011 with responsibilities as the podium director for the Goshen Junior High School Seventh and Eighth Grade Orchestras and the Goshen High School Philharmonic Orchestra.  Mr. Patrick is also responsible for assisting with the Fifth and Sixth Grade Orchestras at Goshen Intermediate School and the Goshen High School Crimson Concert and Symphonic Orchestra.  Prior to his position in the Goshen Community Schools, Mr. Patrick taught for three years in the Elkhart Community Schools District.
 

Mr. Patrick received a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Ball State University in 2008 and a Master of Education in Teacher Leadership from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2014. He believes in providing high-quality,  varied, and comprehensive music education to his students by holding high expectations of music performance, encouraging a high level of enrollment in private lessons, placing all students into chamber groups, providing extra-curricular string jazz/fiddle/mariachi ensembles, and integrating music theory and history instruction into the classroom curriculum.
 

Mr. Patrick is an active performer on cello and double bass currently performing with small groups like the Generations Jazz Trio, French Quarter, and Vibenation, as well as larger groups such as the Tom Milo Big Band and The Elkhart County Symphony Orchestra among others.  Mr. Patrick is a National Association for Music Education member and the American String Teacher’s Association.  He is also an Indiana State School Music Association adjudicator assessing soloists and small groups at the annual solo & ensemble event and large ensembles at the middle and high school ISSMA organizational festivals in the Spring.
 

Mr. Patrick can be contacted at spatrick@staff.goshenschools.org or at Goshen Junior High School (574) 533-0391

Jason Pfeifer joined the Goshen Orchestra faculty in 2014 as the head high school orchestra director. He grew up in Rochester, NY, and received bachelor's degrees from Baldwin-Wallace University where he studied music education and violin performance. Mr. Pfeifer also earned a master's degree from Central Michigan University where he studied violin performance and also was a string teaching graduate assistant.  Mr. Pfeifer has also taught for seven years at the Saginaw Township Community Schools (Michigan). Highlights of his years in Saginaw include performing at the American String Teachers Association’s National Orchestra Festival, State Festivals, and the Saginaw Spirit Hockey Games.  Jason is the podium director for the Goshen High School Camerata Chamber Orchestra, Crimson Concert Orchestra, and the Symphonic String & Full Orchestras.  Mr. Pfeifer also assists the Goshen Junior High School 7th & 8th Grade Orchestras.

Mr. Pfeifer can be contacted at jpfeifer@staff.goshenschools.org or at Goshen Junior High School (574) 533-8651

Rachel Horning graduated from Anderson University in 2020 with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education. She taught 6th Grade Beginning Orchestra in Franklin Township, Indianapolis, during the 20-21 school year. Originally from Goshen, Ms. Horning was a part of the Goshen Orchestra program as a student from grades 5-12. She is excited to return to her hometown in a new role! Ms. Horning will be the podium director for 5th and 6th-grade orchestras and will assist with the Junior High and High School Orchestras.
 

Ms. Horning has also been an active performer, having been part of the viola sections of the Anderson Symphony, the Muncie Symphony, and the Marion Philharmonic Orchestras. She continues to develop her passion for music education by being a part of the American String Teachers Association and the National Association for Music Education.
 

Ms. Horning can be contacted at rhorning@goshenschools.org or at Goshen Junior High School (574) 533-0391

The Goshen Orchestra Boosters is a parent organization that exists to support the students and directors of the Goshen Orchestra by raising funds, providing service, and connecting orchestra parents with opportunities for increased involvement in the program.
 

The Goshen Orchestra Booster Organization meets on the fourth Tuesday of the month at 7:00 PM. Booster meetings are open to all parents of Goshen Orchestra students.
 

Come and see how you can help continue making the program great!
 

Orchestra Booster Officers

• Chad Russell, President
• Jeanette Post, Vice-President
• Jason Yoder-Rupp, Treasurer
• Kristin Saner, Secretary
• Members At-Large: Ryan & Lucy Gaffer, Berth Juarez-Areeola, and Karen Matney

The Goshen High School Orchestra program is among the best in the state with 16 state finalist appearances including the past two years the event has been held and two state runner-up performances.  There are many string performance opportunities for Goshen students but the program is centered on our three concert ensembles that meet three times a week during the school day.  In addition to our concert ensembles, students have the opportunity to participate in small chamber ensembles, the musical pit orchestra, our jazz string ensemble, and our Camerata Chamber Orchestra.  The Goshen High School Orchestras are directed by Mr. Jason Pfeifer and Mr. Sean Patrick.

Crimson Concert Orchestra:  The Crimson Concert Orchestra is for students continuing in orchestra that participated in 8th grade orchestra the previous year. The Crimson Concert Orchestra continues increases the demand of musicality while increasing the rigor of music as student move into the Goshen High School program.  The Crimson Concert Orchestra meets Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays performing in the Fall Orchestra Coffee Concert in October, the Sounds of the Season Orchestra Concert in December, at the ISSMA HS Organizational Festival in April, and the Spring Orchestra Concert in late April.  Jason Pfeifer is the podium director of the Crimson Concert Orchestra.  Sean Patrick and Rachel Horning assist this ensemble.

Philharmonic Orchestra:  The Philharmonic Orchestra is an auditioned ensemble for students in grades 10-12 that are not enrolled in Symphonic Orchestra.  The Philharmonic Orchestra meets Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays performing in the Fall Orchestra Coffee Concert in October, the Sounds of the Season Orchestra Concert in December, at the ISSMA HS Organizational Festival in April, and the Spring Orchestra Concert in late April.  Sean Patrick is the podium director of the Philharmonic Orchestra.  Jason Pfeifer & Rachel Horning assist this ensemble.

Symphonic String/Full Orchestra:  The Symphonic Orchestra is the top performing orchestras at Goshen High School consisting of students grades 10-12 selected from a May audition process.  The Symphonic Orchestra performs as a string orchestra in the Fall and incorporates winds and percussion for the Spring semester performances.  This Orchestra is known to be among the best in the state and performs professional level literature.   The Symphonic Orchestra meets Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays during the school day and has a weekly Monday evening rehearsal starting in November.  The Symphonic Orchestra performs in the Fall Orchestra Coffee Concert in October, the Sounds of the Season Orchestra Concert in December, the Spring Orchestra Concert in late April, the ISSMA HS Organizational State Qualification event in late April, and ideally in the ISSMA State Concert Finals event in Early May.  This is also an ensemble that travels and competes in regional and national festivals.  Jason Pfeifer is the podium director of the Symphonic Orchestra, Sean Patrick & Rachel Horning assist this ensemble.  Tom Cox is the wind and percussion assistant to the orchestra on Monday nights.

Chamber Ensembles:  In the Goshen Orchestras we affirm the importance of chamber music for our students both from an educational, and practical standpoint.  Chamber music encourages independent musicianship, demands music literacy, and fosters meaningful musical and social growth in students.  The Goshen High School Orchestras have the highest level of participation in the ISSMA solo & ensemble of any string program in the region.  We encourage students to continue working in these ensembles beyond the ISSMA event.  The orchestra program has a standing ensemble, the Crimson Quartet, which generally performs professional level literature and has participated in the Fischoff National Chamber Competition.

Musical Pit Orchestra:  The musical pit orchestra provides the music for the annual Goshen High School musical performances in March.  The group is formed in late December and begins to rehearse in January.  The musical pit instrumentation varies by the needs of the individual show but players are from the Goshen Music department.  The Musical Pit Orchestra is led by Mr. Stephen Snyder.

Red Wire Jazz Strings:  The Goshen High School Red Wire Jazz String Ensemble was started in the 2013-2014 school year in an effort to offer students the opportunity to learn about jazz styles, history, improvisation, and performance.  This is a volunteer ensemble that practices for an hour once a week before school (currently Wednesdays 7:30-8:45am) from August to May.  The ensemble performs in the ISSMA Jazz Festival in early March as well as the GCS Jazz Cafes and other possible jazz festivals, community performances, or orchestra concerts. Sean Patrick directs this Ensemble.

Camerata Chamber Orchestra:  The Camerata Chamber Orchestra is a string chamber ensembles of 15-22 students selected by director invitation.  This ensemble prepares and performs the great string chamber music and can often be found performing in the community.  The ensemble meets as a zero hour (before school) class, two days a week (currently Wednesdays & Fridays 7:20-8:10am).  The Camerata Chamber Orchestra performs annually in the Fall Orchestra Coffee Concert in October, the Sounds of the Season Orchestra Concert in December, in the ISSMA Solo & Ensemble event in early February, the Solo & Ensemble state event in late February, and the Spring Orchestra Concert in late April.  Jason Pfeifer coaches this ensemble.

The Goshen Junior High School Orchestras have a long tradition of excellence in music performance as we prepare students with the knowledge, understanding, and technical training to become great musicians. The Goshen Junior High School 7th, and 8th grade orchestras meet in a block schedule for two long periods and one short period a week.
 

7th Grade Orchestra: The seventh grade orchestra is for students continuing in orchestra that participated in 6th grade orchestra the previous year. 7th Grade Orchestra focuses on building competency and understanding in intonation while incorporating shifting and vibrato techniques. Students will work to play musically as a group. The seventh grade orchestra meets everyday as a class period of the school day and performs in the Fall Orchestra Concert in October, the Winter Orchestra Festival (finale) in December, at the ISSMA JME Organizational Festival in March, the Spring Orchestra Festival (finale) in May, and the Music in the Parks Festival in May. Sean Patrick is the podium director of the 7th Grade Orchestra. Rachel Horning and Jason Pfeifer assist this ensemble.
 

8th Grade Orchestra: The eighth grade orchestra is for students continuing in orchestra that participated in 7th grade orchestra the previous year. 8th Grade Orchestra continues to hone intonation while maturing vibrato techniques all while playing more challenging music. Additionally, we work for students to build an independent understanding of phrasing and musicianship. The eighth grade orchestra meets everyday as a class period of the school day and performs in the Fall Orchestra Concert in October, the Winter Orchestra Festival (finale) in December, at the ISSMA JME Organizational Festival in March, the Spring Orchestra Festival (finale) in May, as well as performing the elementary tour and at the Music in the Parks Festival in May. Sean Patrick is the podium director of the 8th Grade Orchestra. Jason Pfeifer and Rachel Horning assist this ensemble.

GJH Cadenza Orchestra: Goshen Junior High School’s Cadenza Orchestra is a volunteer group comprised of students ranging from eighteen months to three years of playing experience. Started in 2011, this ensemble rehearses after school for just 75 minutes a week starting in September. This ensemble focuses on jazz and pop styles as well as traditional orchestra music. Student work on understanding the style and articulation for different genres and get experience with improvisiation. We also have a lot of fun!

Red Thread Jazz Strings: The Red Thread Alternate Strings was started in the 2011-2012 school year and existed as a jazz strings ensemble for three years before expanding to incorporate fiddle and mariachi ensembles. The Red Thread Jazz Strings meets once a week after school for an hour (Fridays 4pm-5pm) September thru May and typically performs on the Winter Orchestra Festival (finale) in December, the ISSMA Solo & Ensemble Event in early February, The ISSMA Jazz Festival in early March, and the Spring Orchestra Festival (finale) in May. This group may also perform out in the Goshen community. The Red Thread Alternate Strings are directed by Mr. Patrick.
 

Chamber Ensembles: In the Goshen Orchestras we affirm the importance of chamber music for our students both from an educational, and practical standpoint. Chamber music encourages independent musicianship, demands music literacy, and fosters meaningful musical and social growth in students. All 7th and 8th grade students participate in the "Chamber Unit" which takes place from late November and extending to early February. Students choose their groupings of 3 to 20 members of any instrumentation, though they are encouraged to choose standard instrumentation such as string quartets, violin quartets, string trios, etc... Students then spend a portion of class time over the next seven weeks working on a piece of music independently and with some teacher guidance. All ensembles participate in our "mini-contest" in which an outside adjudicator comes into the school during on the Tuesday before Solo & Ensemble, listens to the groups giving them feedback and suggestions for improvement. Most ensembles choose to participate in the ISSMA Solo & Ensemble event. Students can choose to remain in these ensembles beyond the chamber unit by arranging rehearsals outside of the school day. We do have an 8th grade chamber ensemble (typically a double quartet) coached by Mr. Patrick that meets once a week after school.

Participation in the Goshen Community Schools Orchestra Program begins with the summer beginner program for incoming 5th grade students (students with significant summer conflicts may have the opportunity to start in a condensed three week after school program in August).  The Fifth and Sixth Grade Orchestras are taught by Ms. Rachel Horning.
 

5th Grade Orchestra resumes for all 5th Grade Orchestra students in early September. 5th grade students will have orchestra three times a week; all students will have orchestra combined on Wednesdays from 3:00 – 3:50 PM. Violins will have violin only instruction on Thursdays and Fridays from 3:00 – 3:50 PM. Violas and cellos will have instrument specific classes on Mondays and Tuesdays from 3:00 – 3:50 PM  (Students can be picked up at Goshen Intermediate School OR take the bus that travels from GIS to GJHS and then load busses to take them home with the GJHS students)  The 5th Grade Orchestra performs on the December Winter Festival, and May Spring Festival concerts.
 

6th Grade Orchestra:  The sixth grade orchestra is for students continuing in orchestra that participated in the 5th grade All City Orchestra the previous year.  6th Grade Orchestra picks up where 5th Grade Orchestra left off focusing on teaching literacy of notes on the C and E strings, more complex rhythmic patterns, building competency in tuning and the understanding of intonation, learning new and working on changes of hand positions, and beginning to develop musicianship.  The sixth grade orchestra meets everyday as a class in the school day and performs in the Fall Orchestra Concert in October, the Winter Orchestra Festival (prelude) in December, at the ISSMA JME Organizational Festival in March, and the Spring Orchestra Festival (prelude) in May.  Rachel Horning is the podium director of the 6th Grade Orchestra.  Sean Patrick and Jason Pfeifer assist this ensemble.