Longfellow Middle School Chamber Orchestra

Performer Details

Performer Bio Synopsis

Located just four miles from Washington, DC, the McLean and Falls Church communities are home to a highly educated business and professional population that demands excellence in education. The quality of our students’ educational experiences is a direct reflection of our community’s commitment to its schools. Longfellow Middle School has a reputation for academic excellence with statewide and nationally recognized accomplishments: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 Governor's Awards for Excellence in Education, 2013 Virginia Board of Education Excellence Award, Math Counts - 1st in the state; Science Olympiad – 1st in the region, 1st in the state, and 11th in the country; Quiz Bowl – 1st at National History Bowl; Orchestra and Band - all Superior ratings; Knowledge Masters and First Lego League teams are nationally ranked, RAMP-Student Services Department National Award, and Golden Wellness Award for excellence in Nutrition and Fitness. Longfellow Middle School provides a traditional school structure including a seven period school day plus a 22 minute Lancer Time for remediation and enrichment. All students are part of an academic team comprised of teachers in English, social studies, science, and a counselor. All teachers are expected to incorporate the development of problem-solving and critical thinking skills into the curriculum for all students, regardless of academic program or progress. Emphasis is placed on making each academic area (the advanced academic center, the honors program, special education, English for Speakers of Other Languages) the best it can be. Our curriculum also stresses the importance of service learning and lifelong learning skills. All students are supported in ways that challenge and support them to reach their full potential. Our welcoming, supportive, and safe school environment is enhanced by our Positive Behavior Support program. Our Lancer Code is: Be Respectful, Be Responsible, and Be Safe. Parental involvement is critical to the success of each child and the Longfellow school community. The school's PTA contributes to the benefit of all school citizens through financial support and advisement to the principal. The school's business partners, Wheat Landscaping, Home Depot, Larkin Remodelers, and Bayou Bakery, provide resources to the school. The school has a wide-ranging after-school activities program. Longfellow Middle School Orchestra Program, under the direction of Mrs. Bomin Collins, is one of the finest orchestra programs in the United States. With the current enrollment of 250 7th and 8th grade students, the program offers five rigorous levels of music curriculum; Cadet Orchestra (Beginning-Intermediate), String Ensemble (Intermediate), Concert Orchestra (Advanced-Intermediate), Symphonic Orchestra (Intermediate-Advanced), and Chamber Orchestra (Most Advanced). The Longfellow Chamber Orchestra is the premiere performing ensemble in the Longfellow Orchestra Program. The orchestra rehearses for a 45-minute class period each school day. The students have frequent sectionals with a specialist on each students’ instrument. Additionally, students often stay after school for 60 minutes for full orchestra rehearsals. These sessions provide opportunities for the directors to rehearse various large and small ensembles as well as to focus in detail on the technical demands of the literature rehearsed by the entire orchestra. Students in the ensemble are encouraged to study privately. Currently, over 96% of the group takes weekly lessons and have attended summer music camps/clinics. Students are assessed twice per quarter on individual video-taped performances. These assessments are worth 50% of their grade and are the basis for their section/chair placement in the ensemble. The Longfellow Chamber Orchestra has been thriving for a tradition of excellence through admirable record of musical accomplishments. The Orchestra has recently completed showcasing an hour-long program at the 2016 Virginia Music Educators Association Conference, a highest state-level honor that band, orchestra, or choir programs can receive. Longfellow has placed many students in the VBODA All-District XII Orchestra Event every year. Performing grade V and VI literature, the orchestra has consistently received “Superior” ratings at the VBODA District XII Orchestra Assessment. Each year, the orchestra has won its class and the overall championship in competition at Music in the Parks or Musicale Festivals. In 2012, under the direction of Susan Kervick, the orchestra was the 1st place winner in Middle School String Orchestra Division at National Orchestra Festival, sponsored by American String Teachers Association (ASTA). As the “showcase” ensemble, the Longfellow Chamber Orchestra students are often called upon to perform at various events such as National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) reception, Lancer Invitational, and Pyramid Concert in the McLean Pyramid.

Longfellow Middle School Chamber Orchestra

Conductor's Bio

Bomin Son Collins graduated Magna Cum Laude from Boston University with a Bachelor of Music Performance and received her Masters in Music Education at George Mason University. She started her music training early on the piano but then switched to cello at an early age. Since then, she has held principal roles in the American Youth Philharmonic, Boston University Chamber Orchestra and was a fellow member of the National Symphony Orchestra Youth Fellowship Program on a full scholarship. As a cellist, she has performed and was featured as a soloist at multiple venues such as Carnegie Hall, Symphony Hall and the Kennedy Center. She obtained numerous awards from many competitions including a Grand Prize from the Third International New Praise for Piano and Strings. She has participated in master classes with Alban Gerhardt, Paul Katz, Norman Fisher and Joshua Gordon. Her principal teachers include Dorothy Amarandos, Glenn Garlick of the National Symphony Orchestra and late Marc Johnson of the Vermeer Quartet. As an educator, Collins currently directs and oversees over 250 students in five different levels at Longfellow Middle School in Falls Church, VA. All her groups consistently receive superior ratings at participating competitions and state assessments. Her Chamber Orchestra, frequently performs VBODA Grade V and VI literature, was chosen to perform at Virginia Music Educator Association Conference in Fall 2016. She is an active member of NafME, VBODA, and AFPE. In addition to teaching, Collins enjoys being a music coach in the community and freelances as a cellist. She continues to sustain her love for playing the cello as a section member in the McLean Orchestra and American Festival Pops Orchestra. She also has served as a faculty member at Ovations Summer String Academy, and Vienna Summer Strings. She also serves as the Artistic Director for Cellospeak, a non-profit organization which offers outreach projects and education to adult cellists around the world. She and her husband, KC, reside in Alexandria, VA, and love spending time with their English Bulldog, Pumpkin Dotty.