Children get hands on look at classical music

YOUNGSTOWN -- The children at Students Motivated by the Arts on Thursday weren't sitting quietly listening to classical music.

They were banging on drums. Some were moving, while others were drawing what they heard. A few were discovering that music isn't something that simply comes out of speakers or is performed by people dressed in black on a distant stage. It is something they can make.

The evening was a listening party hosted by SMARTS created in partnership with the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra ahead of its Symphonic Sorcery concert on Oct. 2.

However, calling it a listening party doesn't quite capture what was happening. The children weren't just there to listen -- they drummed, danced, wrote and drew what the music made them imagine.

Kate Easterday, assistant director of SMARTS, said a student who comes there for visual art, dance or creative writing may have had little exposure to classical music.

"We wanted to make that connection between all of the arts disciplines and really get them engaged in music in a different way," she said.

Calogero Mays, 12, a SMARTS student, said his favorite class is band.

"That's where you can get all of your feelings out," he said.

He's also learning about fashion and hopes to design something of his own one day.

"SMARTS is one of the best places to go for any kid," he said. "No matter how small, they can still all come here and enjoy SMARTS."

That idea of access for any kid was a big part of Thursday's event. A child can walk into SMARTS and experiment with art forms they may never have encountered. A student can meet professional musicians without their family having to travel an hour to Cleveland or Pittsburgh.

It also should be noted that students of any age can attend Youngstown Symphony Orchestra concerts for free.

Dani Dier, chief business officer for Stambaugh Auditorium and the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra and herself a Trumbull County resident, said that's deliberate.

"We want them to have the accessibility to experience arts and culture at a young age," she said. "It's not just about listening to music. It's something that you can make a career of."

Youngstown Symphony Music Director Erik Ochsner said the listening party was designed to introduce people -- young and old -- to classical music.

"Some people say, 'Oh my gosh, I don't know anything about classical music,'" he said. "So come show up, then. If you don't know about it, try it. Don't be afraid of something just because you don't know about it."

For children, that first exposure can become something much bigger.

Silvia Games DuBos, a cellist with the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, described watching young musicians begin to realize what they're capable of doing.

"When you see the faces, when they start playing better, oh my gosh, it's another thing," she said.

The arts also generate economic activity.

Dier pointed to performers and musicians who travel into the region for rehearsals and productions, sometimes staying for days or weeks. They sleep in local hotels. They eat in local restaurants. Audiences travel here from outside Mahoning and Trumbull counties, she said.