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| JUST FOR U MUSIC PROGRAM JUMP! will present two concerts this Fall: one in mid-November and one in early December. These interactive concerts will focus on building communication and listening skills through music: We use music to express ourselves and to communicate with others. It has a personal meaning for each individual listening to or playing music, and it establishes relationships between people playing together as well as between the performers and the audience. Can understanding these interactions change how we listen to music, what we listen to, or what we listen for? To shed some light on these questions, JUMP invites the audience to join the collaborative, creative process of musical decision-making, examines how each individual instrumental "part" relates to the musical "whole," and explores the conversational nature of chamber music performance.
JUMP presented two inreach performances in Duncan Recital Hall at the Shepherd School of Music on April 10, 2008. Members of the Shepherd School voice department presented short dramatic opera scenes and classical songs. On April 24, a different ensemble presented a piece that tells a story through music. Following these explorations of music in a dramatic context, musicians from Rice played an instrumental piece (different for each JUMP performance) in order to help the audience create a story plot based on the music. The performances culminated with a repeat of the instrumental piece with the audience's invented story narrated by one of the singers. The inreach (in-house outreach concerts) concept was conceived by students and faculty from the wind chamber music class at the Shepherd School. Student coordinators soon expanded the program to include student performers from all departments at the school. Each year two graduate students coordinate JUMP! as an independent study course. In the process, they learn such valuable skills as concert programming, production, promotion, presentation and peer mentoring. Rachel Buchman, head of the Young Children’s Division at the the Shepherd School, teaches participating students the special performing skills needed to create a fun and informative classical music experience. Other Shepherd School faculty coach the chamber music groups and advise student leaders on planning and administration.
Student coordinators find many benefits come from the JUMP! program. Sharing music with children is exciting, energizing, and brings a fresh perspective to their art. In addition to attending a free concert in the intimate setting of Duncan Recital Hall, some school groups include a campus tour in their visit to Rice. For many, it is their first experience on a college campus. As one faculty member observed, “Who knows what dreams can come from these experiences? If even one or two children can be inspired to go to college, it will be worth it.” |
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