December dawned with a spectacular display of alpine glow, the snowy summits of mountains reflecting a red, rising sun. Wispy clouds picked up the color and danced eastward: “Red sky in morning, sailors take warning.” By noon, we had 2 1/2” of a “slight chance of flurries.” December light is low, soft, and rosy when it graces December’s darkness.
After an early lunch on December 1, I felt like a kid getting ready for recess, donning boots, parka, hat, and gloves. Will and I had an invitation to visit Lakeview Union Elementary School here in Greensboro for a Vermont Symphony Orchestra Symphony Kids concert, which I sponsored. “Brass and Physical Sciences” featured musicians playing French horn, trombone, and trumpet and Dorothy, an energetic, toe-tapping scientist.
I delight in introducing classical music to young children. I was on the VSO Board of Directors when the orchestra, the oldest state symphony in the country, celebrated its 50th anniversary 37 years ago. My ancestors built pianos, and I grew up falling asleep in my room over Dad’s library, where he listened to classical music. Music has enriched my life tremendously, and it may have something to do with my mathematical mind. Music and math are universal languages.
My favorite part of this concert was when each musician described how long the tube is on his instrument, the size of the bell, and how that influences its sound. The kids were asked if they play instruments. Not many do. Almost improv, one musician explained that you can make an instrument with things you can buy at a hardware store.
He just happened to have brought a precisely cut garden hose and a funnel. After assembling his horn, he showed the children how he buzzes his lips. A child raised his hand and said, “That sounds like a burp!” The scientist noted that it was a good observation. (It could have been worse.) The musician quickly played a short tune on his hose.
Each musician had a horn-specific hose and a funnel. When it was the trombonist’s turn, he explained that his hose was the longest and the widest to account for the slide on his horn. He unraveled his hose and asked the youngest kids in the front row on the floor to help. The children held onto the hose with both hands. The trombonist leaned over and played his tune. The kids’ eyes went wide, as they listened to and felt the harmonics. I laughed to myself that it takes a village to play a trombone. The trio played a piece together on their hose horns.
As we drove home, I recalled that one of the pieces the musicians had played, hoping the children would know it, was “Amazing Grace.” How sweet the sound.
How will you bring delight into December’s darkness?