The Magic of Music
Youngsters at the Lodi Boys and Girls Club were treated to a small educational and interactive performance Friday that not only exposed them to a genre of music with which they were not familiar, but showcased the dynamics of teamwork.
This week, the Stockton Symphony began traveling to sites all across San Joaquin County as part of its new Magic of Music program, an effort designed to familiarize children with a variety of sounds and teach them how to work together.
On Friday, the Lodi Boys and Girls Club was treated to the symphony’s bass quintet and drums program, comprising of the trumpet, French horn, trombone tuba and drums.
The ensemble performed swing classics such as Fats Waller’s “Ain’t Misbehavin” and Bart Howard’s “Fly Me to The Moon,” interspersed with explanations as to how each instrument works and is played.
Music director and conductor Peter Jaffe said the program enables the symphony to make small ensembles and perform for small audiences during the pandemic, as well as a time in the state’s recovery process where large concerts are not yet allowed.
He said performing for children, senior citizens and some of the county’s homeless population over the next two weeks was a “win-win” situation.
“It’s got a great social component to it, because the overall arching theme is all about teamwork, in the same way if we play as kids, something like street basketball, which is not coached, but we learn how to do it on our own,” he said. “All of us might learn to shoot hoops on our own and develop our skills, but the magic really happens when we put it all together and
we have to coordinate our efforts.”
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the symphony would perform “Steppin’ Out” concerts twice a year at Hutchins Street Square, with 800 children both nights.
While he said the symphony hopes to bring the program back and play larger concerts again, these smaller performances allow children to ask the musicians questions and get to know what it takes to play an instrument.
“So we’re using the magic of music to say how (teamwork) can apply in the basic form to humanity and make us all better citizens,” he said. “It’s also an exposure to a lot of kids who may not have seen a group perform like this. Of course, we want them eventually seeing full symphonic performances, but we want to keep the magic of music alive.”
Mariah Aguilar and Brooklyn Pritchard, both 9, said they enjoyed learning about a new kind of music they had only heard during the end credits of motion pictures.
Aguilar said listening to the performance has inspired her to start listening to more swing and classical music, and maybe even try to learn on of the instruments.
“It’s nice to hear something different than people talking,” she said. “It was calming, and also made you feel really happy, so I enjoyed it.”
Pritchard said watching the musicians play have inspired her to learn guitar, as she likes its sound and any kind of music that employs the instrument.
“It’s just when you play an instrument and you sing to a song you get really lost in it,” she said. “And it makes me feel better everyday.”
About a dozen children were treated the Friday’s performance, and Boys and Girls Club executive director Roger Coover said he hoped more would be present when the symphony returns twice next week.
He said the organization strives to give the youth it serves experiences they do not always the opportunity to enjoy.
“This whole program at the Boys and Girls Club is about growing kids beyond what they have either at home or at school, and doing all kinds of teaching programing that helps them become the most they can possibly be,” he said. “The goal is to expose them to opportunities in life to things they haven’t dreamed of, and hopefully convince a lot of them to go on to college and higher education.”
The symphony will return to the Boys and Girls Club on March 24 with its oboe, violin and bassoon program, as well as on March 26 its violin and marimba program.
Friday’s performance will be available to view on the symphony’s YouTube channel. For more information about the symphony, visit www.stocktonsymphony.org.