Week Two - Part One

     This week all of our out-of-town musicians have returned to London and Baltimore and Chicago. Our musical teachers now include Ivan (woodwinds), Leslie (flute), Gustavo (violin), Laura (cello), Jason (brass) Amanda (percussion), Robert (choir) and Osvaldo, directing. We also have Bennett (brass), Maria (viola), Kelby (tuba) and Brianna (viola) working with the kids. The pieces being worked on are a Jamaican song, New World Symphony and" Lean on Me". It looks like Malachi will once again be a show-stopping break dancer and the percussion on the Jamaican song really rocks with Amanda directing the growing assortment of musicians and instruments.
     The kids are excited to be in their second week of camp. They are quite used to the schedule and the work needed to have a great perfromance on Friday. This Friday we share the stage with FWISD's middle and high school choirs who have put in long hours of work in preparation for Friday's performace. It will be an honor to be in the same program with Fort Worth's most talented young voices.

Week One - Day Five

     Picture a whirling tornado gathering speed heading directly towards you. You have nowhere to go, nowhere to hide, you just stand there and are pulled into the storm front. This was Week One of Summer Music Camp 2011--a storm gathering force and direction as it was energized by all the participants.  In the center of that swirling storm were 28 kids, 14 teachers, 3 student mentors and an assortment of musical instruments. They worked and played every day in the calm center of their own summer camp storm and on day five  the storm front moved to the stage of Bass Hall. All was deposited center stage and in a flurry of controlled and well-designed, yet spontaneous musical fun the kids played some amazing music from the eye of the storm.

Week One - Day Four

     If you miss the concert this Friday at Bass Performance Hall you will miss a unique opportunity to listen and watch 28 kids explore the universe of music like nothing you have seen or heard before. They have been experiencing music through their voices, their instruments, their bodies, their eyes, their ears and their inner beings for four days at summer music camp. Today our fourth day in camp I watchd Malachi hold his cello bow like he had played for months instead of four days--the same for Geronimo. Yanni is a natural holding his violin and moving with the music. Kahya quietly plays the violin exactly as she is taught. Jill leads them urging them to move, watch, and listen. She has their rapt attention because she has challenged them to make the music and they feel the thrill of success. .
     Dontavious blows the trumpet and holds it like he owns it. He leads the others indicating with a small gesture when to stop--a leader is born through his horn. Brandon has the baritone playing today and hits all the notes. Down the hall Brandon is at ease with his clarinet and Rogelio makes his flute sound like rain in a thunderstorm. The bucket band is rapping and dancing and beating the drums to a steady beat. Legend starts them and Isiaha raps it all up.
    The storm is coming and we have one more day to prepare.
 

Week One -Day Three

      You could almost feel the beat and intensity building as this afternoon's music camp progressed. Bits and pieces of what will be played at the concert on Friday are being strung together within percussion, woodwind, brass, string and choral groups.The students are experiencing first-hand what goes into creating a piece of music. What started as their suggested theme is now turning into music that they are playing.
      Words for the day: eye of the storm. Although it is the calming center the camp seemed to swirl on the outsides of that center all day--nothing calm about it. The kids learned about the eye of the storm from Jo in the afternoon full camp rehearsal. Each musical group had worked on storm sounds on day two with their instruments and then these were all brought together in group practice at the end of the day. They were beginning to hear what their musical creation was going to sound like with all the musical groups playing together.
   To view today's video go to:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkLFL4wsMuM

Week One Day Two

     It is hard to believe that today was just day two! By the end of the third hour of  B Sharp's four hour day, Jo and Detta had everyone assembled to work on the "storm" piece. The kids discussed on the first day what they would write music about. All sorts of ideas were suggested. Today they landed on storm for a musical theme. From there the ideas of how to represent a storm musically were suggested. Then each musical family broke out to create storm sounds using their instruments. Tomorrow the first bits of this composition will be pulled together.
     The whole musical team is moving toward a concert on Friday on the Bass Hall stage. Molly is picking her soloists. Pete is building on those three notes with the brass. Jill has everyone in the building, it seems, playing one of the string instruments. She successfully kept the violas, violins, cellos and bass playing as one large section. It is very magical how all the pieces and parts will come together. Today we got a glimpse of what the B Sharp orchestra will look like. So exciting!
   

Week One - Day One

     The B Sharp kids arrived at summer music camp in downtown Fort Worth on Monday afternoon. They were wearing their summer camp t-shirts and were excited and ready to jump in and get started. At long last they were to experience first-hand what Osvaldo Mendoza, B Sharp director, had been telling them about for weeks.  Jo and Deta and Molly and Pete and Dan and Jill all provided an exciting first day. Highlights--singing in the woodwind sectional, "boiwang" on Jo's rhythm in creative composition, all string players in one big group for the first time and playing by hearing the note in the brass sectional.
     This first week of camp our good friends, Performing Arts Fort Worth and the Children's Education Program at Bass Performance Hall brought 6 talented musicians from Baltimore and London to work with the B Sharp kids. Joseph from London plays the double bass, Dita, also from London, plays the flute, Jill from Baltimore plays the cello, Molly sings, Dan plays the tuba and Pete plays the trumpet. Each will work in sectionals with the kids to help them progress on their chosen instrument.and will also help facilitate each class. The first day began with Molly leading a choir practice.
     Then the sectional fun began with each B Sharper taking their chosen instrument and heading to a separate practice room to try and remember how to play. Most of our string players had not picked up a violin since December, the brass players had only played a very short while, and the woodwinds have only had the instruments in their hands for less than a week before coming to camp. Our percussionists are probably the most adept on their chosen instrument as Ms. Vessels, B Sharp instructor,  has worked magic and hours with all our students on percussion.
    Participating in camp right beside the students are the B Sharp staff and several local musicians.  They are learning what Dan Trahey and his entourage can show and tell us about teaching music to kids in the El Sistema-inspired way, because in the second week of camp these musicians and teachers will be working with the kids.  Stay tuned up for more camp news!

Pre Camp readiness

The preparations for B Sharp Summer Music Camp 2011 have been a long time in the works. Through the dedication and financial support of the Children's Education Program of Performing Arts Fort Worth at Bass Performance Hall the camp is going to happen. We are working on the final details and very anxious for it all to begin!