July 24, 2008 08:02 am
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BY RUTH RICE
RRICE@TRIBDEM.COM
This music camp isn’t about learning the notes – it’s about learning how to play them.
Select middle and high school music students from Cambria and Somerset counties will work from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Aug. 1 at the fourth annual Chamber Music Week sponsored by the Chamber Orchestra of the Alleghenies. The event will be held at Richland High School Performing Arts Center, One Academic Ave., Richland Township.
The 15 students who will attend the camp have been sent the music ahead of time, so they know it, said Beth Pile, board president of the chamber orchestra, which considers education to be a strong part of their mission.
“We teach them how to play in a small ensemble,” Pile said.
“They’re the only person playing their part, so if they make a mistake, they stand out.”
Students also will learn about musical styles, such as different bowing techniques on the violin.
The students are fewer than in past years, but Pile said she isn’t upset.
“It will make it nice because they will have more contact with the faculty,” she said.
Pile, who teaches and plays violin and viola, and Joe Gaunt, who teaches and plays piano, will be joined by fellow chamber orchestra members Ellen-Maria Willis, who is concert master and plays violin, and Linda Jennings, who plays cello.
“We consider ourselves coaches, not teachers,” Pile said.
“We help them mold their music into a performance. They know the notes.”
Gaunt said that many of the campers are music students of faculty members, so there is no need for extensive auditions.
“If we have a new student, they can audition in person or on tape,” Gaunt said. “We have minimum requirements. We want to encourage kids and help them grow and stretch. We’re not looking for experts.”
The real instructors will be members of the Mendelssohn Piano Trio, who will teach at the camp Wednesday, Thursday and Aug. 1.
Students also will participate in a master class, where selected students will play a solo as a member of the trio works with them.
“It takes courage, but those who signed up have an interest in playing,” Pile said.
“Some have never played in a group. You have to be able to hold your part while you’re hearing others.”
The piano trio, which is returning to the camp for the second year, will perform in a free concert at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the high school’s performing arts center.
Pile believes the students’ reward is seeing how far they’ve come during the week of music camp.
“They’re eager learners,” she said. “They want to get better. I see a big improvement in my students. We try to make it fun. The kids know each other. Some are in Johnstown Youth Symphony together.”
Some of the students have formed their own smaller groups, which continued to play together after the camp.
Orchestra members began Chamber Music Week in 2005 in an attempt to provide local string and piano students opportunities often found only in larger cities.
“When kids go to regional orchestra, they wonder why others play better,” Pile said.
“It’s because of opportunities, not because they aren’t qualified.”
The music camp was held at various local churches before graduating to the state-of-the-art auditorium at Richland High School.
Pile and Gaunt admitted one of the main factors in choosing the high school for the camp’s new site is the comfort of air conditioning.
“It’s a nice facility for concerts,” Pile added. “Everything’s all set up. They also have enough pianos, and they’re in tune.”
Students will have a chance to get out into the community to perform when they give a free concert for nursing home residents at 3:30 p.m. Thursday at Golden Living Center, 349 Vo-Tech Drive, Richland.
“It’s important that they do something for others, perform without getting paid,” Pile said.
Students will perform with the four-member faculty that coached them in a free concert at 7 p.m. Aug. 1 at the high school’s performing arts center.
The music camp and concerts are made possible by a grant from Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts, the regional arts funding partnership of Pennsylvania Council on the Arts administered by Pennsylvania Rural Arts Alliance.
Noteworthy performance
What: Free concert by the Mendelssohn Piano Trio.
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday.
What: Free concert by students of Chamber Music Week sponsored by Chamber Orchestra of the Alleghenies.
When: 7 p.m. Aug. 1.
Where: Richland High School Performing Arts Center, One Academic Ave., Richland Township.
Information: 445-3221.
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