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Publication: The Dartmouth, Dartmouth College, Hanover NH.
Joanne Hyun '17 picked up her first violin when she was four years old and has been playing ever since. Originally from Sydney, Australia, Hyun moved to the United States during her sophomore year of high school to attend a boarding school in Troy, New York. Although she found that there were fewer opportunities to take music lessons in high school, she also enjoyed having chance to play more independently.
Hyun joined the Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra during her freshman fall. Although she has only been playing with the DSO for two years, Hyun's skill and positivity have already made her a leader in the orchestra. This year, Hyun is the section leader of the second violins.
In addition to holding full-orchestra rehearsals twice a week, the DSO holds student-led rehearsals for specific sections every Sunday. As the section leader, Hyun leads the sectional rehearsal for second violins.
"I was really worried about it at first because I'd never led a sectional before," she said, "but it's a lot of fun -- everyone's very cooperative."
Sectionals provide the second violins with a chance to address specific technical and stylistic issues of a piece.
"It's a series of discussions," Hyun said. "We go over the technical difficulties, as well as discussing how we should portray something musically."
She said that she tries to make the rehearsal environment as welcoming and noncompetitive as possible.
"My approach to sectionals is to encourage everyone to practice individually,...