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Dobbins students take musical journey
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .The Youngstown Symphony visited the students of Dobbins Elementary on March 17 to teach the students about world music. Music Director Randal Fleischer (right) played the students an African drum called a djembe, with the accompaniment of symphony violinist Susan Brenneis-Fisher.
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The symphony musicians played many different types of music from Africa, Europe, and Asia. With a little help from violinist Brenneis-Fisher (right), Fleischer played the Irish tune “Danny Boy” to the students.
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Fleischer helped the students sing and follow the rhythm of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” Dobbins third-grader Paul Economus (far left) and fellow student Lauren Johnson (to right) were having plenty of fun with the clapping and singing.
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For the singing of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” Fleischer divided the third-graders into two groups to sing different parts of the song. The students had to follow along quickly as Fleischer (right) switched between the two parts and had plenty of fun.
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Before heading back to their classrooms, Fleischer invited the third-graders to hit the African djembe drum to discover its sound.
By SARAH FOOR
Dobbins third-graders took a trip around the musical world March 17 thanks to the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra.
Randall Fleischer, music director for the orchestra, was the tour guide in the student’s trip around the world through music.
“Around the world, musical sounds are usually made by wind, string, or percussive instruments. However, very different songs can come from different places. That uniqueness is truly what makes music wonderful,” Fleischer explained to the third-graders when he began.
The program offered a taste of the Youngstown Symphony’s upcoming “World Music Jam” concert by exploring the sounds and rhythms of other countries, and America’s music as well. The students considered genres born in the United States, like jazz, rock and roll, and hip-hop music. They also explored the cultural sounds of European, Asian, and African countries.
The symphony’s principal second violinist, Susan Brenneis-Fisher, accompanied Fleischer in playing the cultural tunes, including the Irish song “Danny Boy.” Fleischer brought out an African drum called a djembe and led the third-graders in a rendition of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” that included stomping, clapping and singing from the students.
“The idea is to demystify and de-snobify classical music. We try to make it fun, personal, and to teach it in an age-appropriate way,” Fleischer said of the symphony program. “Of course, if the students come to Youngstown Symphony concert, there won’t be a guy like me talking and goofing around with the kids during the performances, but it’s important to show the kids a different type of music.”
Brenneis-Fisher wanted to teach the importance of being a good audience.
“An audience is important to any art form. We make our programs interactive and all about participation. We want the kids, and any audience, to feel like an integral part of the process,” she shared.
“In my line of work, I’ve found that classical music is such a profoundly uplifting and enriching art form. We just try and get the kids to understand that, too,” Fleischer said.