Watchya Play?

Posted by Sarah Khazzam on 15 March 2011 | 0 Comments

Tags: Jessop Primary school

Today was my first day encountering the happenings of the Bridge Project. I’ve been working behind the scenes at LMM for a week, so I was excited to finally see what kind of musical talent goes on in the schools. This morning I got to sit in on a Year 3 group lesson as they practiced for their first ever performance for a group of parents and children. The kids were plucking away at the violins, bouncing out of their seats in excitement for the next note they were going to learn. Two boys got to solo in front of the group with piano accompaniment and were so proud as they took their deep bows. As they put on their green shirts to walk to the ‘concert hall’, as part of a Bridge to the Community event, you could tell butterflies were beginning to multiply and mix in for the first time with their excitement. 

When they arrived, they set up and got down to business as if they had been performing for years, playing their tunes for the audience with such vigour. A mid performance crowd shocker and to much enjoyment to the students, the students bowed along happily to Jason Derulos, ‘Whatcha Say’. They ended the concert with 'E-string Concerto', as well as a huge round of applause.

Back in the music classroom, the kids let out all their energy with a few minutes of celebration dancing while they also wrote down how playing in their first concert made them feel. All of them responded positively! As they walked back to their classrooms for the rest of their day, I reflected back onto my first piano recital. The mix of emotions a musician feels within such a short period of time within a performance hour is a saga; from excitement, to anxiousness, to nerves, to a state of honour and relief when it was over. Based on the slips of paper we gave the kids with ‘Playing in the concert today made me feel…’, I can safely say they all felt ‘happy’.