From: "Jack Ely" Date: Mon, 22 Mar 1999 23:58:35 -0500 Subject: Belated post - School Gig
Re-post of bounced message.... - ---------- From: Jack Ely To: harp~arply.com Subject: Belated post - School Gig Date: Friday, March 19, 1999 1:16 PM
Hi Harp-Lers,
This is kind of late due to several problems - including a broken computer at the time (Nov - Dec 98, Jan 99). Getting caught up now and reflecting over some things I have wanted to share on the list. There are 8 million stories in Harmonicametropolis. This is one of them.
Coshocton, Ohio - Central Elementary School - December 15, 1998 In case you care Coshocton is my home town (Ko 'Shock Tun). The name is from the Indian name Goshwegunk - which means Black Bear Town (so what). Central elementary was the High School when I graduated there in 19-- hak kaff, umhack, sploot! What does this have to do with harmonica? Well I'll tell you, nothing! (so far). My first public performance was on the stage at this school when I was a sophomore - I played chromatic harmonica in a variety show. I had rousing applause after my scheduled two numbers and was encouraged to do 3 or 4 encores. [Later my buddies told me I was last act and they were just trying to delay going back to class]. Pop went my bubble!
Anyway, back to 1998...
Harpers Bizarre was asked by the school principal to put on a concert for the children. HB, now usually a duet of me and harp buddy Marv, hit the road at 7:am in order to arrive by 9:am. An 80 mile trip, E. of Columbus. We set up for our first concert and played about an hour - it was easy involving the kids as it was near Christmas and it's no chore to get them joining in and singing songs like Rudolph, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, etc. Our first group was K - 2 grade. After a nice lunch at a local restaurant we did concert #2. This one was for 3 - 5 grades. Then an equipment move to the larger gymnasium for the evening show and some time to think about the next act - we tried to gear our show to the age groups involved. The evening show included parents and students - we saw some 6th graders and a lot of kids who had been at the earlier shows. A lovely dinner at one of Coshocton's finer restaurants (there are two, total). We returned to get ready for show #3 at 7:pm.
At the end of each show we presented some of the kids with Huang Frontiers harps. We didn't have enough for everyone but we pooled some HB and School money and thanks to Cham-Ber Huang's generosity - had 56 harmonics to present between the three concert groups. Cham-Ber gave us a nice discount and even threw in some freebies. Each group of students lined up with their harmonicas and we gave them their first lesson. (The old Mexican Hat Dance routine). At our last harmonica give away of the day there was a boy, maybe 9 or 10, in the front row holding his door prize ticket anticipating a winner every time a number was called. He didn't win one and looked like a sad little puppy. I nudged Marv and he ran to his case and found an unplayed diatonic still in the box - he slipped it to the young lad and his smile lit up the whole auditorium. The kids loved the concerts and the involvement. All day between shows the kids would walk by and wave to us while going to their next class. We had a blast doing this one. By the time we got back home it was after midnight. We played for over 800 kids that day and it was worth the trip.
Schools like to put on this kind of program. The uniqueness of a harmonica group, the interacting with kids and audience involvement, and the educational aspect - most are seeing and learning about a new instrument and what it can do, or maybe being exposed to a music genre new to them. The kids like to get prizes, in this case a good beginning harmonica - unfortunately we couldn't swing enough for all. One thing I didn't do but will next time - is prepare some kind of hand out sheet with some harmonica facts - so every child can learn more about the harmonica.
I don't think it would be too hard to come up with a program yourselves and sell it to schools in your area. After all, we did it - and are going to be invited back some day. The principal (my niece) said so. ;-)
Jack
Jack Ely Buckeye State Harmonica Club, Inc. BHF '99 April 15-17 Clarion Inn, Worthington, OH (614) 436-0700 "Have harmonica will travel, wire CatDaddy, Columbus."
