Due to both a lack of funds and the lack of a teacher, there was no BSM orchestra class first semester. However, that changed in second semester when the new orchestra director, Sarah Foster, was hired. Foster is a part-time teacher and only comes to BSM to teach the orchestra class and conduct the orchestra when they play at Mass.

Foster comes to BSM from Blake, where she directed their orchestra. This isn’t the first time Foster has taught music; she began giving lessons to other students when she was in just sixth grade, and her passion for conducting grew from there. “I was always interested in conducting, and I was the assistant conductor for the Robbinsdale area school districts when I was growing up in high school, and I kind of got my bug for that there,” Foster said.

Foster played violin as her first instrument; she then learned to play other string instruments (viola, bass, cello) while learning to conduct. Music has been a part of Foster’s life since she was young, and she hopes to use teaching as an opportunity to share her love of music with others. “Music has always been important to me, because I feel that it’s another form of communication—communication with others, and that has always drawn me to it,” Foster said.

Foster hopes to become a strong part of the BSM community; she already feels like this might be the place for her. “I am Catholic, and I really enjoy the element of faith here, and I am very passionate about playing at Mass, so I thought it was a great opportunity to prepare kids to use their skills to play in a worship setting,” Foster said.

While the BSM orchestra is currently very small—only seven students—this allows Foster to work with each student individually. Working one-on-one with students can create stronger relationships between the students and the director and help the students improve more than they might if they were in a bigger ensemble. Because there are so few students, the junior high and high school students are combined into one orchestra. Everyone might be at different levels, but the orchestra has built a tight-knit community. “The older kids get to be leaders and help the younger kids. Younger kids watch the older kids. It’s just a pretty neat and unique, and special arrangement,” Foster said.

To increase orchestra numbers in the future, there will be a beginning orchestra class offered next year for students who want to learn a string instrument but haven’t had the opportunity. Furthermore, there are plans to create outreach programs to middle and elementary schools to help institute orchestra programs in BSM feeder schools. While there are no finalized plans for this program yet, the sessions would be weekly or bi-weekly with Foster introducing string instruments to younger students who may then continue that instrument if the student came to BSM.

Ultimately, Foster wants to make an impact here and introduce her love of music to others. “My goal is to make [the students I teach] better musicians, to help them read music at a high level, to help them develop their skills, whether that’s shifting vibrato or playing really difficult passages and being able to read music pretty well on site, having them be knowledgeable about key signatures, music theory, and then using those skills to help others,” Foster said.