Today's great musical moment

Earlier this evening, while sitting outside enjoying a glass of good wine, I wrote about the events of this afternoon:

It is Friday afternoon. I am working with my group of advanced violin students – seven girls ages thirteen to sixteen – on a double concerto by Vivaldi. The girls, all proficient players, have learned their parts and are developing good ensemble skills, but sometimes they are still too caught up in the effort to play all the right notes to feel the music’s heartbeat – the internal pulse into which all the parts fit.

Suddenly we hear music from across the hall: guitars, drums and piano playing the instrumental parts for Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al.” The girls tap their feet and move to the music. I run across the hall to ask David, Umoja’s guitar teacher who is leading the ensemble class, what key they are playing in. Finding out that it’s F major, I return to my class and quickly teach the girls the notes for the wonderful  brass part that opens Simon’s great classic. We then traipse across the hall and into the large classroom.

“Karibu!” says David. “Welcome! One, two, three, four, five – “ and off we go! Violins begin, guitars and drums and piano join in… it is energetic, exhilarating music! Three younger violinists spill out of a nearby classroom;  I show them what to play and they join in. Parents and teachers are clapping their hands and dancing. There is a smile on every face.  The song ends amid enthusiastic applause. “Let’s do this again!” exclaims one of the young violinists. For sure – we will!