Playing with the professionals

Hundreds of recorders can make a joyful noise.

So it was Wednesday morning when about 3,500 fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders and their teachers took part in two Omaha Symphony concerts at the Holland Performing Arts Center.

As part of the Carnegie Hall Communities LinkUP! educational concert series, young musicians on recorders and stringed instruments played along with the symphony musicians on several numbers that demonstrated such musical concepts as rhythm, tempo and syncopation.

Led by Jennifer Boomgaarden, the symphony's vice president of education and community partnerships, the kids first took a lighthearted pledge to play their instruments only when told to do so on an overhead screen behind the orchestra. The screen also showed the notes to play.

Boomgaarden said that when symphony officials were first told of the idea — that the kids would show up and start playing along with the symphony's professional musicians at a concert — they were dubious about the program's success.

But once they tried out the program and saw that it worked so well, it quickly became one of everyone's favorites, she said.

This is the fifth year it has been offered. On Wednesday, not only were there students from the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, but also from Fremont, Columbus, Hampton, Oakland and Scribner, Neb., and Treynor and Malvern, Iowa.

The kids didn't come to the concerts cold.

Their music teachers were trained in the curriculum last fall and spent a lot of time working with the students and preparing them for the concerts.

The payoff: It allowed the young musicians to experience the thrill of playing with an orchestra.

“Kids learn by doing,” Boomgaarden said. “It's all about the kids.”

Among the recorder players were Marisa Lopez, 11, and Veronika Finck, 11, from Omaha's Morton Middle School.

“I liked it,” Marissa said, adding that she had no trouble playing along.

Veronika said the best part was the drum playing provided by the Papillion-La Vista Drumline.

The drummers also were a big hit with Derek Lara, 10, of Twin Ridge Elementary in Bellevue.

“I liked the drums best,” he said, hinting that he would be more than willing to abandon his recorder to learn to play a drum.

Performing on the bass, which dwarfed her by almost a foot, was Tristen Underwood, 11, of Reeder Elementary in Gretna. Her assessment of the concert: “It was cool!”

Teacher Karen Marble sat next to Tristen and watched her play.

“She did great,” Marble said. “I was so proud of her.”

After energetic participation in “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” “Mars” from Gustav Holst's “The Planets” and Leonard Bernstein's “Mambo” from “West Side Story,” the concert ended with a rousing version of “A Simple Melody” by Nick Scarim. Then everyone gave themselves and each other huge cheer for a job well done.

Contact the writer:

444-1067, carol.bicak@owh.com

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