THUNDER BAY – Emily Kauppi, decked out in a Metallica T-shirt and a hat emblazoned with social justice buttons, might not fit the image of a classical music fan.
The Westmount Public School student, however, was one of the most keenly interested on Wednesday, her class invited to watch the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra perform at the cafetorium at Westgate Collegiate and Vocational Institute, an introduction to classical music for Grade 7 and 8 students not always known for their love of Beethoven and Bach.
“I think it’s great,” Emily said. “I have the highest appreciation for music like this. It takes a lot of talent to do it and I just think it’s cool, especially watching the violas and stuff.”
She admitted she doesn’t listen to classical music very much, but being exposed to it in school made a whole lot more palatable for her and her classmates.
“It’s roots kind of started some of the music that I listen to, like the dramatic-ness of it. I already play a couple of instruments, but it makes me want to try the viola or something like that. I think they’re really cool and it seems like it would be a very challenging instrument,” said Emily, who is learning the alto-saxophone and plans to start guitar lessons in the very near future.
Reid Drury, a student at Valley Central Public School, said the concert was a great way to learn about another kind of music.
A tuba player who plans to switch to the trumpet, he said he was looking forward to the show.
“I think the music will be nice. I like listening to music,” he said. “We play music at school and they’re probably better, so it probably sets a good example for us.”
Guest conductor Cosette Justo Valdez said bringing the orchestra to the south-side school, and others throughout the city, is a great way to show students that there’s a lot to like about classical music, and it doesn’t have to be something belonging to a bygone era.
It’s also a chance for exposure to a new audience, one whose musical tastes are still being refined.
“Everything starts here. The future of our audience, our musicians, the appreciation of music, starts with children. It’s very important to inspire the youth, to connect with them and to show them how cool classical music is and how accessible it is by having the orchestra come here,” she said.
“We hang out sometimes with the teachers and students, so it’s very important for us to share what we work so hard for and that we are here in the community.”
The key is to make it fun, Justo Valdez said.
“We just played a tango,” she said. “This particular program starts from the Renaissance, and ends with a composer who lives in Edmonton right now. We went through a whole path, showing a history of music for orchestras and I think they enjoyed it very much.”
Teacher Michelle Somerfield said her Valley Central students benefit through partnerships like the one Lakehead Public Schools has with the TBSO.
“And when we teach instrumental music, it’s really important to see examples that are professional that are set for our students. It’s just nice to know they are local and at one time they were like our students,” Somerfield said.
