BRAVO! Young People Concerts

November 11, 2014

BRAVO! Volume 1, Issue 1

Do you hear that? It’s a familiar sound for many people who grew up in Wichita. It’s the sound of over 2,000 kids pouring into the concert hall at Century II on a cloudy Tuesday afternoon for day one of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra’s Young People’s Concerts, or YPCs as we call them. Every spring and fall, the Wichita Symphony busses in twelve thousand third through eighth grade students from Wichita Public Schools and surrounding areas, some travelling over two hours to attend the concerts.

It’s a huge operation over three days and six performances. It involves 133 schools, 225 busses, and all the teachers, volunteers, and planning it takes to wrangle twelve thousand kids in and out of the concert hall. Chances are if you went to school in Wichita, you’ve been to a YPC, a tradition that dates all the way back to 1953.

This fall’s YPC program was “Beethoven Lives Upstairs,” a production from the national touring theatre troupe “Classical Kids Live.” It explores the music of Ludwig van Beethoven and the tragedy of his hearing loss. I went out to speak with a few of the people who help make this extravaganza come to life. While waiting for the first busses to arrive, I spoke with a volunteer usher.

Ken Witzell: I’ve been living in Wichita since ’91, and I was born and raised in New Jersey. We didn’t have anything like this when I was growing up, and my daughter got involved playing the viola when she was in Gammon Elementary, and was in the Youth Symphony for five years. Those were some of the happiest times of my life, bringing her here and getting involved…

Then like a small wave gaining momentum, the kids started to arrive. I followed another volunteer, Steve Kimball (pictured right), a burly man with a wide-brimmed hat, onto a bus full of students and teachers awaiting instruction.

Steve Kimball: Could I have your attention please, all young people of every age. Ah, thank you so much, my name is Steve and I’m here to welcome you to the symphony concert today. You’re going to have a great time and learn all about Beethoven, and hear a lot of great music that he wrote…

The kids excitedly pile out of the bus. Outside of the building there are little pods of students anxiously waiting their turn to be seated. While they wait I talk to one of the teachers slash chaperones.

Arleigh Aldrich: What have you done to prepare?

Heather Crump - Well I know that our music teachers, I’m one of the third grade teachers, but our music teachers have really been talking with the kids about the Symphony, and the expectations for the Symphony, the type of music they’re going to hear, things that are going to give them a chance to hear something they might not have heard before.

AA - Is it a little chaotic today?

HC - A little bit but they’re very excited.

At this point it’s about 10 minutes before the concert starts, so I run back stage. John Harrison (right), he’s a violinist and concertmaster of the Wichita Symphony, is warming up in his dressing room. We talk about the music the kids will hear on the program before he goes on stage, like Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.

Beethoven Symphony No. 5 excerpt

Two actors tell the story of a young Viennese boy who lives below a cranky old man who bangs his piano through all hours of the day. He writes letters to his Uncle about the strange man, and he comes to learn he is the great composer Ludwig van Beethoven.

If you’ve been a chaperone on a school field trip, the notion that 2,000 young children could be completely silent in one place might seem laughable. Yet, the kids sit quietly with rapt attention. And the only time you hear noise? It’s the applause.

Musical Interlude – Quotes from “Beethoven Lives Upstairs”

“I can understand that to you he might seem a great nuisance, but to us, he is a hero. We try to imitate him in every way – even the messy room!”

“Mr. Beethoven also has on his desk, four ear trumpets as well. But you don’t play music on them. They’re to help him hear. He puts one end in his hear, and then you’re supposed to talk in the other end SO HE CAN HEAAAAARRR YOOOOU!”

“Imagine how frustrating his life must be. Imagine hearing no voices. Imagine no wind in the trees, no pealing of bells, no singing of birds. Imagine, he hears no music, not even his own.”

I spoke with concertmaster Harrison one last time after the concert hall had cleared from day one of YPC madness.

John Harrison - I think YPCs offer a wonderful opportunity for these kids, but it’s not a complete picture on its own. A lot of these kids have the opportunity to study instruments and to hear more music, but some of them don’t. As we do these I’m reminded about the importance of music in the schools, and music for these kids so that they grow up with that experience and love for playing and listening to music.

Our attendance records aren’t complete all the way back to 1953, but we believe over the course of 60 years – nearly one MILLION children have attended YPCs. And over the next two days we’ll add 8,000 more to that number.

This has been BRAVO! - a production of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra. Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you at the Symphony.

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