Saturday, March 27, 2010

Music (and a little basketball, of course)

This has been a weird tournament year. Two more #1 teams are out - Kentucky for the men, and (sob) the Lady Vols for the women. That pretty much wipes out the teams that this family likes. But that’s what makes the tournaments interesting and keeps people watching.
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I had read that a wind quintet from the Symphony orchestra was going to be playing at the nearby branch library, at 11 a.m. this morning. John went to help with the Boathouse clean-up, and I went to hear the music. What a delightful program this was!!

It was geared toward children, and about half of the 25--30 people were youngsters. But they came to listen and learn. The musicians introduced their instruments and talked about how they were made, with what materials, how they were played. They played pieces featuring each instrument (clarinet, flute, bassoon, oboe, and French horn) - pieces from The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Fantasia, etc. The French horn player even played a short selection using just a garden hose with a funnel attached to one end. The kids were fascinated.

About half the hour was devoted to questions, mostly from the kids, questions that showed they had studied music and were interested in learning more.

After the program, I asked one of the musicians how these programs were arranged and financed. He said they were part of the symphony’s community outreach program. They were funded by Unum Provident, and were charged with taking music programs to each school within a 50-mile radius of Chattanooga, and to the various branch libraries if asked. What a terrific service this provides - bringing music to the youngsters in the community. I was impressed!

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