Harrington kids have a blast with woodwinds

LYNN-What is the quickest way to make kids dance like they are auditioning for a junior edition of American Bandstand? Break out the Hannah Montana theme song at a school assembly.As if their already crowd-pleasing array of circus-marches and classical selections hadn’t brought down the roof in the Harrington Elementary School gymnasium, the Gordon College Wind Ensemble broke out their rendition of the wildly popular character’s theme song that had kids dancing and teachers not-so-secretly clapping along.The college’s full wind ensemble performed two morning concerts for the entire student body at Harrington Friday morning, part of a longstanding partnership between the college and Lynn Public Schools.The show featured circus-march classics, moving classical numbers and an education on instruments between songs. Band director and professor David Rox and his group even took time to visit classrooms after the show to educate students more on the different instruments used in the performance.”Our visit to the school introduces Harrington children to classical music and gives them an up-close and personal view of brass, woodwind and percussion instruments,” Rox said. “Our college students enjoy the interaction and the Harrington kids seem appreciative and attentive.”The students followed every number with wild applause, and showed their enjoyment in seeing different instruments, especially the tuba and harp, which each drew gasps and applause from students.Students have been to the Harrington in the past to paint murals and student-teach, but Rox went to Gordon in Lynn Program Director Val Buchanan last year with the idea for the concert.”We wanted to build on previous engagements with the school as well as bring in more cultural enrichment,” Buchanan said. “The concert visit allows kids to be exposed to different types of instruments and at the same time hear from college musicians – many of whom are music education majors – about why they are studying music.”Harrington Principal Michael Molnar, a Gordon graduate, said the partnership with the college has helped the school in many areas during a time when funding for events like this is nonexistent.”This is great, especially given that we don’t have a music program at Harrington,” he said. “Considering the economic times, I don’t even know how much something like this would cost, but it is something I’m sure we would never be able to do on our own.”Molnar said he is working with the college to coordinate a trip next month, where fourth- and fifth-graders could tour the college, including the Phillips Music Center, to give them their first introduction to the college.Superintendent Nicholas Kostan, who enjoyed the toe-tapping tunes along with deputy superintendents Jaye Warry and Catherine Latham, praised the partnership while speaking after the event.”It is great to have a collaboration with higher education like this,” he said.