ArtistCorps Great Story: Impromptu Chamber Music

ArtistCorps is a UNCSA community engagement program that employs UNCSA students and graduates to provide arts instruction, integration, and exposure to under-resourced communities in the Winston-Salem, North Carolina area. During my service (2017-2020), I was placed in Title I schools where I taught violin lessons and music integration to pre-kindergarten, elementary, and middle school students.

For more information on this program, visit the ArtistCorps website: https://www.uncsa.edu/community/community-engagement/artistcorps/index.aspx

October 14, 2018

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The classroom teacher I was assisting planned for a sub to take over her afternoon classes. Before leaving, she discussed which two students she wanted me working with for the next class period, a bassist and violinist. The bassist, my classroom teacher said, would be able to practice on his own without any problems. The violinist, on the other hand, she wanted me to give more attention to. Apparently, this violinist was someone she had her eye on for the school’s honors orchestra, but needed a little help achieving her first ribbon (an award for learning specified goals). Additionally, she wanted me to encourage the violinist to start attending morning or afternoon practices.

The class period started and I set up the violinist and bassist in the extra classroom next to the orchestra room. I let the bassist do his thing while I worked with the violinist on her ribbon goals. We zipped through the playing position and left hand set up exercises (relaxation techniques intended to help her feel comfortable and relaxed while making music) and began looking at the goals that required her to actually play. These exercises also seemed to be of no problem to her and I could see why she was a candidate for honors orchestra. She had the ability and love for it, she just needed someone to push her to come to the practice sessions (something that I didn’t have to push her on because apparently she was already interested in attending them).

While the violin lesson was going on, the bassist seemed to take an interest in what we were doing and came over to provide help for the violinist. Eventually, we got to a really fun piece that was listed in this set of goals, “Hoedown Harmony”. The bassist, remembering how to play it from when he had to practice it, wanted to play with the violinist. The violinist agreed and I was asked to play the melody part with them. We went through it once, and because it was so fun, the two young musicians asked to play it again and again until it was time for them to pack up. It was such a great moment, because I don’t think that these kids have had the chance to do something in a small ensemble setting such as what we were doing. I’m sure that most of their music-making in school is either individual or large ensemble. Most importantly though, it was wonderful to see two kids enjoying themselves through music.