Joliet’s Hufford student orchestra takes holiday music into the community

Select Joliet-area locations enjoyed live holiday music on Dec. 15 performed by 18 Hufford Junior High orchestra students.

The students are part of the Hufford Junior High School Honors Orchestra (colloquially known as HHO, pronounced H20), a volunteer orchestra with musicians from the school orchestra.

This was the 14th year for the holiday tour, said Cliford Hunt, Hufford’s orchestra director since 2001. Therese Rouse, superintendent for Joliet Public Schools District 86, which includes Hufford, joined the orchestra at some tour stops in 2017.

“If I can provide them with all these different opportunities, it gives them a sense, I think, of accomplishment and sense of pride in what they do.”

—  Clifford Hunt, orchestra director, Hufford Junior High School

Hunt said he loves seeing everyone’s smiles as the students showcase their talents and spread “good cheer.”

“It makes me feel good to be able to provide an enjoyment to them,” Hunt said.

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Eighth-graders Julian Fuentes (cello) and Grace Vanderhyden (bass) participated for their third and final time this year.

Julian’s favorite piece is “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” and he enjoys seeing the smiles and attention from people when they play.

“It’s really fun because you can hang out with your friends and play music at the same time,” Julian said.

Grace said she’s occasionally nervous about the tour until she actually begins playing. She looked forward to performing with her friends “for the last time before I get into high school,” she said.

Her favorite piece is “Jolly Old St. Nicholas.”

“[I like] how all the different parts go together,” Grace said. “They just sound good.”

The entire Hufford student orchestra participated in the holiday tour the first year, Hunt said. But that wasn’t logistically feasible as membership grew. So, Hunt formed the honors orchestra “for students who volunteer to stay after school for an hour just to play music,” he said.

But Hunt also deliberately seeks out various performance opportunities for the students, too, he said.

“If I can provide them with all these different opportunities, it gives them a sense, I think, of accomplishment and sense of pride in what they do. I have almost a quarter of my students that want to be a part of this. It feels good that students are taking advantage of opportunities to be able to play with their friends and play good music and have fun,” he said.

The students prepared eight pieces for the holiday tour and they played an average of three pieces at each 30-minute stop. Hunt said he enjoyed the tour experience as much as the students.

“To be around a group of students who want to do this and want to be involved and want the best things to happen and really try and are interested in making good music – that is the best part of what I’m doing there,” he said.