|Photo by Emma Delk| Marshall County Strings Program members Sophia Cunningham, right, and Emily Gatts, left, prepare for the “Game On” concert on Tuesday, Feb. 18.

Marshall County Strings Program members have been “leveling up” their playing skills for “Game On,” the program’s annual benefit concert.

The concert, which will feature orchestral renditions of video game scores, will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the John Marshall High School Center for Performing Arts.

“A lot of the playlist for the concert came from student suggestions over the years,” Marshall County Strings Teacher Justin Jones said. “One of the fun things we’re doing is having a string quartet play music from a level of ‘Mario Kart’ and invite audience members to come up and play around against our strings teachers.”

In addition to giving students the opportunity to play the soundtracks of their favorite games, the concert will benefit the Marshall County Strings Program Scholarship and CASA for Children. Donations collected during the event will be split between the scholarship and the nonprofit organization.

The strings program scholarship is awarded to graduating strings program students who will major or minor in music in college. A committee of three retired music educators determines which student or students will receive the award.

CASA was selected as the other recipient of donations from the concert due to its positive impact on children in the county. The organization trains community members to become Court-Appointed Special Advocates who will speak up for the best interests of abused and neglected children in the courts of Ohio, Marshall, Wetzel and Tyler Counties.

CASA volunteers review records, research information and talk to everyone involved in a child’s life. Volunteers then present their recommendations to the court as to what they feel is in the best interest of the child. Judges use their fact-based testimony to make a more informed decision on the child’s future.

Jones said what “solidified” the organization as the beneficiary for the event was that strings program members have “directly benefited” from CASA’s services. He noted that students also provide feedback on which organization is chosen for the benefit concert, with CASA tying into their suggestions to benefit a nonprofit that provides services for displaced children.

“Everything fell into place for CASA,” Jones said. “When I talked to some of our counselors here [John Marshall High School], they had a great contact for CASA, so we made the connection.”

JMHS sophomore and strings program member Allie McGraw said she learned about CASA’s involvement in the community through the benefit concert.

“I think it’s really important that schools provide for and are involved in their community,” McGraw said. “It’s really nice that the Marshall County Strings program is especially involved in doing that.”

Before the evening fundraising concert, JMHS strings program members will perform the pieces at a recruitment concert held on Tuesday during the school day. All third-grade students in the county, as well as fourth and fifth-graders in the strings program, will attend the concert.

“About 450 kids get to come and watch them during the day,” Jones said. “It gives them insights into what they can do as fourth graders [in the strings program] or what they can continue doing as already elementary members of the program.”

JMHS sophomore and strings program member Sophie Cunningham said she enjoyed playing for the elementary school students and believed the concert gave them “good exposure” to what they could do within the program.

“The concert is especially helpful for the third graders since it lets them know what they’d be getting into if they decided to join the strings program,” Cunningham said.