We're a hit with the kids!

Last Friday at 10:15, Ivonne Hernandez, Jeff Madry, Hannah Read, Kimberly Fraser and myself changed some lives.

I had gotten in touch with Megan Winters, the string teacher at the Easton Public Schools, and asked to come in with some string players to represent The String Revolution. I wasn't able to get players from the show to come in, but Kimberly and the rest volunteered their time to rehearse a set and perform for students. We performed two sets of tunes and arrangements - one for elementary and middle school string players, another for the high school class who brought their instruments and joined us in an arrangement of Cluck Old Hen. It was fantastic! The kids were clapping along and cheering madly.

Everyone did a solo piece as well as the group songs:

Ivonne did Le Reel du Pendu and gave a quick lesson in seated stepdancing,

Kimberly Played a set of Cape Breton and Scottish tunes,

Hannah sang 'Why Do Fools Fall In Love' with backup,

Jeff played an original Bach+Irish style Menuet he composed,

I played Single Ladies for Strings in C.

It was a great success! I admit I got a little nervous playing for the high school kids, who weren't as responsive as the littler ones. Megan thought it was wonderful and thanked us profusely for coming in. I was just happy to be able to play for students! I saw some of them really enjoyed hearing all our different vibes.

The educational portion of String Revolution is about ADDING to the already established string programs, I have to remind myself. Melissa sent back my grant draft and edited that portion of it to sound friendlier. I can't afford to ruffle any feathers in the string education world, nor do I want to. I'm just not sure how to say it right. Now that I have a better draft I can send it out to folks. I heard back from Dr. Shewan in Williamsville, and they don't have the budget for a String Rev show at the moment. We're going to have to work something out.

Is String Revolution just the live performance of all these things? Is it more an intellectual movement? Is it a collection of styles and bands and players and people making their own way? In my mind it exists as a network between everyone who loves playing strings, and uses their instruments to branch out stylistically from what they imagine the 'norm' is. Melissa said it nicely in my rewrite -

"Educationally, we want to use our music to inspire young string players to play any music they love. Traditionally schools offer string players only classical music. We want to offer many more options to blossoming performers. The show is all about exposing the potential music-making abilities of dedicated, passionate string players, whether it's hits from the radio or historical folk from deep in the fiddle repertoire."

So, performance wise, it's adding new and different to the wonderful things already being done. Teaching wise, it's about encouraging those who love to play their instruments to play way they love - no matter what it is! Yes, play your Mendelssohn quartets! Yes, play baroque table music! And yes, if you want to, you can take apart Billie Jean and put it back together in string orchestra

Days till The Revolution: 3. AHHH!!!!! IT'S GONNA BE AWESOME!!!