Detroit Symphony Orchestra

African-American Orchestra Fellow Joshua Jones visits Detroit schools

In celebration of the DSO’s Classical Roots Week, percussionist and African-American Orchestra Fellow Joshua Jones visited four Detroit area schools to perform for students and talk about drums, sounds, music, and life as an artist.

The first visit took place on Jan. 29 at Chandler Park Academy in Harper Woods. The subsequent three visits, all at Detroit schools, took place on March 1, 2, and 4, at Spain Elementary/Middle School, Plymouth Educational Center, and International Preparatory Academy, respectively.

“I try not to make it like there’s an adult onstage, you know, acting like an adult,” says Jones, whose positive energy is infectious. “I just like playing, I’m just happy people are inspired or at least having fun in the moment.”

Jones performed music on a variety of instruments, including snare drum, tambourine, and his beloved vibraphone. He talked to students about his own musical journey, beginning with a Mickey Mouse drum set at age 3, and how he was introduced to different instruments at different times in his life. Most importantly, Jones demonstrated that the excitement, discovery, and fun that come with learning an instrument are valuable no matter what a student’s goals are.

Jones takes his position as a mentor and role model seriously. “If I could, I’d do this all the time,” he says, laughing. Jones has been teaching and working with kids for more than 10 years, and regularly visits schools in his native Chicago. “I care that the kids can see an African-American male who’s not in jail, who’s not on drugs…and who is someone they can interact with afterwards. As a kid, it’s nice being able to see somebody come from where you are now.”

The DSO has for years been at the forefront of the movement to celebrate the contributions of minority composers and musicians, while increasing access and opportunities for youths in underserved communities to experience the magic of classical music. The visionary African-American Fellowship Program, for example, offers a yearlong performance residency with the DSO to one selected musician.  Past DSO fellows have gone on to win positions in orchestras across the United States, including the DSO’s own Principal Trombone, Kenneth Thompkins.

Making a Difference: Wu Family Academy Expands Horizons for Tens of Thousands of Students

Midtown Detroit is home to more than one premier orchestra. With an average age of 16, the extraordinary students who make up the Detroit Symphony Youth Orchestra (DSYO) rehearse every Saturday at the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center.

Violinist Maya Balaji, 16, is proud to have earned a spot in the DSYO, which is part of the Wu Family academy for Learning and Engagement.

“I’ve worked so hard for this audition every year, so I feel like working hard does pay off, and that’s very important for later in life,” she said. “My favorite part is definitely the music that we get to play. In our schools we are not introduced to such high-level music. For the students that require that level of music, this organization is influential and important.”

Violinist Kevin Yuan, 14, agrees that being in the ensemble is a welcomed challenge.

“I like to be around people who are better than me so I can learn from them and they motivate me to become better and to practice more,” he said. “The conductors instruct me how to listen to other people and how playing in an ensemble with multiple people can help me learn to be a better team player.”

The DSYO, Civic Jazz Orchestra (CJO) and Detroit Youth Wind Ensemble (DYWE) are the top performing groups of the Civic Youth Ensembles, which also encompass nearly 10 training ensembles made up of students from fourth graders through sophomores in college.

Two of these premier groups will perform this Friday, November 13 in Orchestra Hall during a showcase featuring the DSYO and DYWE. Learn more and reserve tickets at dso.org/wfa. The CJO performs prior to select Paradise Jazz Series concerts throughout the season (dso.org/jazz for details).

The once in a lifetime opportunities that students such as Maya and Kevin have experienced would not be possible without the generosity of the Wus and support from gifts to the DSO’s Annual Fund, making this a community-supported orchestra.

With a mission to change lives by expanding the understanding of the arts, empowering creative decisions and sparking a passion for music that will last a lifetime, the DSO’s Wu Family Academy carries on the legacy of Dr. Clyde and Helen Wu, who both passed away in 2015. With a deep understanding for music’s transformative qualities in children, the Wus developed a music education program that has since touched tens of thousands of lives.

“Dr. Wu and Mrs. Wu would always attend my concerts, and I would see them all the time sitting in the box seats,” Balaji said. “It just really goes to show that they were supportive of everybody. I could always see them enjoying the concerts. They created such a beneficial organization. For me it’s impacted me so much because it allows me to talk and meet very intellectual people, get introduced to difficult music and it fills that void for me. I would really like to thank Dr. Wu especially because DSO has been such a great part of my life.”

The program provides students not only with scholarships and new opportunities in the arts, but it also provides one-on-one time with esteemed DSO musicians during rehearsals and sectionals. Through live and digital partnerships, hands-on music education and training in classrooms, communities and virtual settings, the Wu Family Academy cultivates relationships that will change lives today, and the trajectory of the community tomorrow.

A memorial celebration of the Wus will be hosted Nov. 14 at 1 p.m. in Orchestra Hall, featuring musicians of the DSYO performing a program chosen by Dr. Wu himself.

A Lesson for All

By Leonard Slatkin

Usually, the first rehearsal for a new season is a straightforward affair. We make announcements, introduce new musicians and staff, and get our collective chops together.

Such was not the case in Detroit on a sunny Thursday morning.

We generally start the season with a series of free concerts throughout the community, made possible by the generous support of the DTE Energy Foundation. The repertoire comprises shorter pieces that we know very well, so the idea is to just play through the works and make a few adjustments as needed. But September 24, 2015 will go down as the most inspirational first rehearsal for the majority of those present in Orchestra Hall.

For the past two years, the DSO staff, board, and musicians have participated in a day of service at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan. Last fall I had the opportunity to join them, and I stood in admiration of not only these brave patients fighting cancer or other illnesses, but also their caregivers, who completely devote themselves to making positive memories with these children. Throughout the year, DSO musicians perform in the hospital lobby and provide live music during group sessions alongside such music therapists as Laura Duda, formerly of Children’s Hospital of Michigan and now the manager of community engagement for the DSO. Earlier this year, in collaboration with Laura, the DSO began planning a proactive initiative to make our music more accessible to people with special needs. For this first rehearsal, we had made arrangements for approximately 20 such individuals to attend, mostly from Glen Peters School in the Macomb Intermediate School District and the Children’s Hospital of Michigan.  

The young people who visited us came with parents, teachers, paraprofessionals, and friends. Many sat close to the stage. After a few introductory remarks, we began with Leroy Anderson’s “Bugler’s Holiday.” Most of our guests seemed to recognize the sound of the trumpets. Following that, we got everyone involved in the same composer’s “Waltzing Cat.” It was difficult to tell how many in our audience actually meowed along with the orchestra, but they did laugh when the imitation of a barking dog from three musicians came roaring through at the end.

This past summer, these students from Glen Peters School lost one of their own, a young man named Nathan who was cared for by staff at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan. We learned that Nathan loved the tambourine, and two of our percussionists, Joseph Becker and Andrés Pichardo-Rosenthal, came to the front of the stage and demonstrated all the things that this instrument can do. Nathan’s parents were in the audience, and we dedicated the rehearsal to the memory of their son as a gesture that we hope provided them some degree of solace.

Next up was the title music from Star Wars. At this point, it was difficult to know how well we were truly communicating with the young people. However, that all changed with the last selection.

At each of our community concerts, we select a member of the audience to lead “The Stars and Stripes Forever.” This time we invited a boy with autism named Connor who, with the help of his father, joined us onstage. When he stepped onto the podium, he was hunched over and clutching a security pillow with both hands.

His dad tried to encourage him to stand up straight, but the boy seemed to retreat. Then I said to Connor that we really wanted him to conduct, and that meant that the orchestra needed to see him. All of a sudden, Connor stood upright and looked for his favorite instrument, the trumpet, played by Hunter Eberly, who rose to his feet to welcome him. I placed a baton in Connor’s hand and helped show him how to beat time. Together we gave the downbeat, and the march began.

The consummate joy on this young man’s face, the tears coming from members of the orchestra, and the sheer realization that music does make a difference has never been so present as it was for these three minutes or so. On his own, Connor released his pillow, dropping it to the floor, and let the sound of the orchestra overtake his entire body. By the time the music ended, we all had been transformed. As musicians, we know that we alter people’s lives, but not in this palpable way, both in physical and emotional terms.

It was a moment in time that will replay itself over and over in my mind. I am certain that the same thoughts will be in the heads of our musicians. And young Connor, well, we do not know how this experience will affect him. But for a little while, he was the king of the world.

Our condolences are with the Wu family as we remember Helen Wu, a cherished DSO supporter and champion of music education.

Packing a picnic to bring to one of our outdoor concerts this summer? Here are some links to recipes that we think would make a great Afternoon Tea picnic basket : )

1 — Cake Pops

2 — Variety of Tea Sandwiches

3 — Smoked Salmon and Dill Sandwich

4 — Easy Cake Pop Recipe

5 — Smoked Salmon Sandwich

First Season of DSO’s Classroom Edition Webcast Reaches 100,000 Students — Your Community Supported Orchestra in Action

This spring, the DSO’s educational expansion of its free HD webcast series, Live from Orchestra Hall: Classroom Edition, reached a record audience of nearly 60,000 students in Orchestra Hall and throughout 415 schools in Detroit and nationwide, bringing viewership for the debut season to over 100,000 students.

After launching in November 2014, Classroom Edition returned May 14 with “Musical Tales” to teach students the many ways music can be used to tell a story. The DSO was joined onstage by host Damon Gupton, DSO Assistant Conductor Michelle Merrill, dancers from the Ballet Americana Company, and baritone Michael Miller to perform selections from Rossini’s Barber of Seville, John Williams’ Children’s Suite from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and more.

After viewing the webcast from their auditorium, students at Detroit Public School Cooke Elementary said they liked learning “how music can tell a story in many different ways,” and “about all kinds of music and the history of different instruments.” After the performance, one student said, “Music helps me to feel peaceful.”

In the fall, nearly 70 Detroit schools tuned in to Classroom Edition’s debut, including all of Detroit Public Schools’ K--8 classes, many of whom would not otherwise be able to see the performance because of transportation issues. An additional 172 schools throughout the country also participated.

Classroom Edition builds on the legacy of the DSO’s popular Educational Concert Series (ECS), which for years has exposed area youth to orchestral performances, in both historic Orchestra Hall and the community. Now, with the development of this groundbreaking educational tool, select ECS performances each season will be adapted to provide an engaging classroom experience, complete with an interactive lesson plan archive aligned with national music education curriculum standards. Current educational resources can be viewed along with an encore of the webcast at dso.org/classroom.

Thanks to your support and the support of the Mandell and Madeleine Berman Foundation, more than 100,000 students experience live classical music this year. The DSO could fill Orchestra Hall 50 times with that many students!