GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Caledonia Community Schools will honor former orchestra teacher David Sowerby at the college orchestra concert on May 10. Sowerby died on November 13, 2021.

The concert will take place at Duncan Lake Middle School. The theme will be “Inspired by Mr. Sowerby” and will include several special performances. Caledonia Secondary School students were invited to perform “Fantasia on an Original Theme” with the college orchestra.

“When we learned of Mr. Sowerby’s passing, we decided to do something to keep his memory alive in our school,” said Landry Hammon and Hannah Bennet, eighth grade band students. “We were sad together, and I think we were able to manage our grief by using the music as an outlet.”

“When David passed away, I knew we had to do something to honor his memory and his contributions to our music program,” said Megan Anderson, acting middle and middle school orchestra director. “I wanted to let the students mourn his passing, but also remember all the wonderful things about him. We discussed in class what we should do and decided that a musical tribute to David would be most appropriate.

Students and staff have also installed memory boards containing photos and memories of students in its former orchestra classroom. It also features a drawing of Sowerby by Christine Cosgrove, an art teacher at Caledonia Community Schools.

Community schools in Caledonia

The Caledonia Middle School Orchestra concert will take place at Duncan Lake Middle School on Tuesday, May 10 at 7 p.m.

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