If the yells were any indication, Friday’s Link Up concert was a rousing success.
The enthusiasm was loud and proud, as Lawton Public Schools fourth and fifth graders tried their hands and voices at classical music with a sometimes edgy beat – before rockin’ out to Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode.”
The Orchestra Rocks concert came courtesy of Link Up, a program of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute designed to introduce young students to classical music in the best way possible – singing, clapping, dancing in their seats, and, of course, playing recorders alongside professional musicians.
Friday’s two concerts for almost 2,000 LPS students were the result of months of work, by adult organizers who meticulously planned each step of the event to make it work, by teachers who spent months guiding their students as they learned to play classical pieces on recorders, by Lawton Philharmonic Orchestra musicians who lent their expertise help encourage youthful appreciation for music, by students themselves.
“Coordination is on a pretty massive basis,” said Charlotte Oates, LPS director of fine arts and director of Friday’s Link Up concert.
Oates said the goal is to give young musicians a chance to play classical pieces with the Lawton Philharmonic Orchestra as the orchestra plays a program set by Carnegie Hall as part of its four-part Orchestra series. And, while the original pieces are classical, sometimes the music took on decided undertones of rock and roll.
“The kids do such a great job. It’s fun for them,” Oates said prior to Friday’s performance, laughing as she remembered the exuberance of students at past concerts – once, student musicians played louder than the orchestra, to the amazement of Oates and LPO Maestro Jon Kalbfleisch.
That exuberance was evident Friday. As soon as the lights started to dim, students began to scream. Of course, they were helped along by Marckese Williams, the Lawton High choral teacher who, for the purpose of the Link Up concerts, channeled his inner rock star, taking on the vocal role of Freddie Mercury to open the concerts with the Queen classic “We Will Rock You” and closing them out with a rousing rendition of Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode.”
“You rocked, man,” one student yelled at Williams as his class headed for their bus, classmates still buzzing about what they heard.
After all, that’s what Link Up is all about. The series is crafted for fourth and fifth graders, with curriculum provided to help elementary music teachers explain the music, its composers and classical instruments. Oates said that age range is deliberate, explaining those grades are the final years before students begin selecting activities they want to pursue in secondary school.
“It’s intended to grab their attention,” Oates said, explaining while some students have athletic goals, others aren’t sure what they want and Link Up offers an alternate activity to pursue into high school and, possibly, beyond.
Student musicians – about 20 percent of the youth at Friday’s concerts – were selected by their music teachers and have spent the school year learning to play specific pieces on recorders so they could accompany the Lawton Philharmonic Orchestra. Don’t think that means the other children sat silent. Those who didn’t play sang and clapped and bounced in their seats and waved their hands overhead. By the end of “Johnny B. Goode,” everyone was up dancing.
Oates said that is the point of Link Up: exposing students to classical music and instruments, and teaching them music can be fun. Participation is key, and adult/teen coordinators worked hard, weaving rock sounds into classic pieces that held the attention of their young audience.
As Kalbfleisch conducted, he explained what students were hearing and why, working with Oates to encourage students to participate. Kaitlyn Stevens, Almor West Elementary music teacher, was the “modeler,” signaling to students when it was time to lift their recorders to play.
Cameron University’s Percussive Ensemble provided the beat for “Drumlines,” where students clap their hands to echo what the drummers played. The eight drummers had the students from the beginning, marching into the auditorium mid-way through the concert to loud cheers. Three Lawton Public Schools singers — Emeri Golden, from MacArthur High; Jillian Redford , from Lawton High; and Jasmine Glenn, from Eisenhower High — lent their vocal talents, sometimes leading songs, other times providing backup to Williams, first with “We Will Rock You” and ending with “Johnny B. Goode.”
“Didn’t it feel good to get loud?” Oates asked, prompting excited yells of agreement.
After all, that’s the point.
“It’s an immersive experience,” Oates said, adding she already knew the result would turn students “into crazy people” just in time to return to their schools.
Anastacia Brannen, in her first year of teaching music at Ridgecrest Elementary, spent the months between late September and Thursday with her students, learning the notes, then practicing – including three sessions the day before the concert.
All her musicians were fourth graders, meaning Friday was their first experience at Link Up. Brannen admits the process was challenging – students lost a week of practice because of January’s sleet/snow storm. The Wednesday before the concert, there still were two pieces that were “a little tricky,” although her musicians were comfortable with the rest of the music.
Brannen expected the concert to be a learning experience for students and teachers. She had attended a Link Up concert “on the other side,” meaning she was a teacher corralling a class of fifth graders, so Friday was her first experience as a music teacher directing students. She had expectations for herself and students.
“I’m a little bit of a perfectionist,” she said, explaining while she holds herself to a higher standard, her goal for students was different. “I want them to have fun.”
If the yells were any indication, mission accomplished.