Gratitude is more than a fleeting emotion. It runs deep in our conscience, shaping our view of the world whether we realize it or not. In trying times, it’s easy to lose touch of positivity, but the Oyster River High School (ORHS) music department is showing the community just how important it is to hold onto the good things in life.
This year, the ORHS string orchestra’s winter concert held a special meaning for all. It featured a spirited performance of Katie O’Hara Labrie’s “With Gratitude”, a vibrant tribute to a story of life, loss, and reverence.
“With Gratitude” was composed in memory of a young girl, Sadie Murata, who even through tremendous hardship never failed to spread positivity and express gratitude towards those she loved. Her spirit lives on through this piece which represents her courageous battle with cancer, love for the world and rich outlook on life, a story which the ORHS strings orchestra had the privilege of bringing to life on Tuesday, December 9th.
“This was one of my most rewarding performances that I’ve [conducted]. I think the reaction was extremely positive and a lot of people attended that don’t normally attend,” says Andrea von Oeyen, ORHS orchestra teacher. Von Oeyen led the orchestra in their rendition of the piece, pushing her students to fill every note with meaning. “You want to be super sensitive as the leader of the group when you conduct something that has a story that’s so poignant and moving and sad,” she says.
However, the performance was far from the extent of the experience. In the weeks leading up to the concert, von Oeyen worked with her students to explore the concept of gratefulness, urging them to incorporate gratitude in their everyday routines. She collected a series of slides from ORHS community members expressing thankfulness for things in their lives that played overhead as the orchestra performed their final piece. She also guided a group of Journalism students in the creation of a video presentation and arranged an online meeting with the composer so the entire ensemble could hear Sadie’s story in detail and discuss compositional elements of the arrangement.
“[You] don’t usually think of [projects like this] when you think of a traditional orchestra class, but I think it really allowed us to find deeper meaning in the piece we were playing and turn it into a more meaningful experience than just looking at notes and playing them,” says violinist Georgia Leone (‘28). “I was just thinking about how lucky we are to even have a music program, let alone meeting living composers and doing whole community projects regarding our music.”
As Leone shares, gratitude runs far deeper than the Thanksgiving dinner table. Practicing gratitude, even in the face of adversity, can have lasting benefits and lead to a happier, more fulfilling life. An article published by the Greater Good Magazine titled “Why Gratitude is Good” explains how gratitude is the best way to combat negative emotions, as feelings of genuine gratefulness are simply incompatible with those of envy and disappointment. However, this isn’t to say negative emotions aren’t real or necessary. The act of intentionally giving thanks for what you have and all that is good in your life won’t eliminate hardship and negativity, only amplify the positive, allowing you to view the world in a more optimistic light, just as Sadie did.
Violist Ike Williams (‘26) says it best. “Staying positive [can be] a challenge and thinking about [a loss] can be hard, but focusing on the positives, the good memories… it’s the way to not hurt”
Rayan Barakat (‘26), a violinist in the ORHS strings orchestra and major contributor to the gratitude project, shares his own words of reflection. “[This project has] strengthened my perspective on music and its universality,” he says. “We play all these beautiful pieces, but everything behind it has a message, and I’m grateful to be able to express that message to people.”
From encouraging themselves and others to reflect on what they’re grateful for to sharing powerful stories of those who dedicated their lives to positivity, the ORHS orchestra program is making ripples, far bigger than the school community.
Barakat says, “[the goal] was really to help people look inward and reflect, change or just have a new outlook on life. I think music is a great way to do that because music is the universal language; it connects everyone and everything.”
-Jahrie Houle
Mouth of the River 
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