Durham Charter School’s orchestra is made up of middle schoolers who often picked up an instrument for the first time thanks to the band. But this summer, they are looking to capitalize on a recent moment of internet fame – sharing some of their songs with the world and uplifting a blossoming school program.
Instructor Daniel Levin coached his group of a few dozen young musicians in the biggest space Manifold Recording could offer last Thursday. After an extensive set-up and tuning process, the orchestra dove into a hours-long recording session of their covers of popular songs – ranging from music by ABBA to Nina Simone to the Fugees.
“You have two notes to prove how great you are…make it count,” Levin said to the ensemble after returning from a break and starting recording of “Lay All Your Love On Me.”…