You may have heard of the advanced arts program for students across the district called Governor’s School for the Arts. Students from Chesapeake, Franklin, Isle of Wight County, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Southampton County, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach public schools are chosen for the program through a competitive audition process. Accepted students travel every day to the regional GSA headquarters in downtown Norfolk to take specialized classes and participate in rehearsals related to their program of study.

GSA offers a variety of programs in Dance, Instrumental Music, Musical Theatre, Theatre and Film, Visual Arts, and Vocal Music as well as opportunities that are normally unavailable in a public school setting. These include masterclasses from experts, performances with professional musicians, and highly trained teachers that provide an enhanced education. GSA is unique in that all offered programs are completely free of charge to the student. They even provide transportation for each district every day to their headquarters. However, these benefits don’t come without a cost. The selective nature of the program can be stressful and competitive. Even after acceptance, balancing the heavy GSA workload with school can be difficult.  

We sat down with two GSA students from Granby, Evelyn Page and Davis Mann. Both are members of the Chamber Orchestra and are in their senior year of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. 

Page had a lot to say about her experience with GSA. Mostly, she was greatly appreciative of the opportunities GSA offered, mentioning specifically that most of the teachers at GSA are “very renowned” and that “many teach at ODU in their free time.” Page also mentioned that her quartet coach last year was Elizabeth Vonderheid, the principal second chair violinist in the Virginia Symphony Orchestra (VSO), whom she was able to play alongside during a “side-by-side” concert.  

GSA does these “side-by-side” concerts quite frequently. Essentially, students get the opportunity to play alongside professional members of VSO. Last year, both Page and Mann performed Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 at one of their concerts. 

Asked about her experience with the competitive nature of GSA, Page mentioned that she thought, “GSA could stand to be less competitive,” but that she “learned to get used to it.” Mann did not share the sentiment. In fact, he thought the opposite–that GSA should be more competitive. Nonetheless, GSA’s environment creates a sense of enjoyment among peers, Mann even poked fun at the rivalries between the different programs.

Many musicians find that over time their passion for their instrument wanes as the stresses of performing overshadow the joy of playing. Does Page have a similar struggle? “I have a total love-hate relationship with my violin,” she responded. “There’s a difference between playing for a bunch of high schoolers’ moms … and playing with the VSO and playing Shostakovich or Debussy.” Mann shared a similar feeling, saying: “I find it really stressful when lots of things are on the schedule and [there’s] not enough time to do it, which makes it less enjoyable.” 

Being in the IB Program, Mann and Page know the struggle of balancing activities all too well.  They both share the feeling that it’s important to split the work and focus on each when needed. Page stressed the importance of setting boundaries and making sure you’re not stretching yourself too thin, while Mann shared perhaps a more realistic stance saying: “If you sacrifice a little from each, then you’re able to be successful in both.”

After graduating this upcoming June, both Page and Mann plan to continue their music. While Mann hopes to pursue music as a major in college, Page said that she’ll mainly continue playing for enjoyment, saying: “You don’t necessarily have to be a music major or minor to be in symphony orchestra at the college level.”

We congratulate our peers that participate in both rigorous programs and wish them luck on a prospective path. Keep an eye out for Granby’s GSA students in their future concerts and performances this year!