We performed 3 Young People’s Concerts on Tuesday. In my career I must have done over 500 YPC’s and I never grow tired of them. I sometimes like to end a program with something that gets everyone jumping, literally this week when they all did the “wave” to Stars and Stripes. Walking outside afterwards, the buses that were all loaded up were bopping up and down…awesome! But not as awesome as the way the audience collectively responded to an off the cuff question…..
One of elements in our YPC’s that I so enjoy is that we play short compositions by elementary and middle school students. They enter a contest (in three different age categories) and the winners work with Missouri State composition students to orchestrate their compositions. This is something that has been going on in Springfield for years before I got here. I think it’s wonderful and this year the students works were very strong!
In the first concert right before performing the first composition, on the spur of the moment I asked the audience a question…how many of you here make up tunes or songs for yourselves or for other people?….Almost all of the 2000 children put their hands up along with the teachers! I was blown away, the response was almost as if their answer was….what kind of a lame question is that….of course we all do, didn’t you know? Obviously I didn’t! To make sure it was no co-incidence, in each of the next two concerts I asked the same question and got the same response.
The arts may have their struggles but I am happy to report that creativity is alive and well!