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Page 8 The Colborne Citizen Nov. 13, 1974 Music--the universal language by Don Earle Music has been called the universal language, it is a language all cultures speak and understand. At Mrs. Little's class every Wednesday afternoon, there is a band concert, a concert which gives supporting evidence to the above statement. Mrs. Little is a teacher of the retarded children at the special section in Brighton Public School. One of her interests in music is that she leads the group through their band session every Wednesday. Wednesday is merely the showcase. Most mornings during the week the, members practice getting in tune for the ; big day. "I don't mind coming in early when everybody wants to learn," declares Mrs. Little. Each Wednesday the routine is the same. For the first few minutes individual students are called upon to warm up on all the different instruments. With Mrs. Little leading on the piano, two senior boys, Brian and Tom, work on the drums, performing various drum rolls to'God Save the Queen', a fitting opening for any concert. Then the real action begins. The group has a set of twenty-five numbers they perform, which isn't much in itself, but when you think of the fact they go from song to song with little or no time in between, it is a little more difficult. They start out with basic numbers, 'The Entertainer', 'Five Foot Two', 'Swinging Safari' and 'Visions of Sleep'. The only! instruments they play are percussion -tamborines, blocks, snare drums, triangles, bells, maracas and many, many more. These first few numbers are little patterns the children have learned s? s Mrs. Little. Eventually things get complicated, as a matter of fact they get very complicated. To begin with, no student plays the same instrument two songs in a row. After every tune, they change - there is a hurry-scurry of activity as all the students retrieve new instruments. At first they do this automatically, but after the fifth song, Mrs. Embleton, who is Mrs. Little's teaching assistant, begins to read the names of the various performers and the instruments they are playing. Mrs. Little states that eventually the students will know what instruments they are playing. It is just the beginning of the season however and right now they are just learning. Further confusion is added by the fact some students were absent so some of parts were novel to the band members. As the songs get more complicated, more ofj the band's skill begins to show. Not only, are they all at different beats, but somel are louder than others, and there is a delicate process of fading in and out. 'Bells of St. Mary's' was perhaps the most beautiful song. There were five children playing, each had a bell that was at a slightly higher or lower pitch then the others. One student started and the four others followed, each taking a turn, and then for the finale, they all chimed in together, and an almost perfect harmony The final few songs were extremely complex, it was confusing just to watch them, let alone having to play. South Pacific was a good example of the complexity of the material. The first part was very soft, bells playing faintly in the, background. Then the music builds up to a fever pitch, fades into soft melody, quickly returning into a loud clamor and closing' with soft gentle tones. After the proram is completed, the children are given an extra hour in which to display their wares. Mrs. Little entertains suggestions from the audience of tunes to play and then nominates various members to play different instruments. Only two children are in the spotlight for each song. While these two are playing along with Mrs. Little, the rest are clapping time, gently beating on each other's knees, intently listening to what their compan- Mrs. Little and her belles. The band at Brighton Public School in session. ions have to offer. The children display no self-consciousness when they play, they are completely at ease with one another. There was never a word of criticism, obviously they feel free to experiment and let themselves go, when in the company of their classmates. But it is Mrs. Little and the music which give the children good medias for their self expression. "With some children," Mrs. Little asserts, "music was the first way I could reach them. Some respond to music immediately, as if they all had an inborn sense of rhythm." Words cannot adequately describe what occurs in this class. What is most predominate is a feeling in the air, which leads to acceptance and encouragement of every musical talent. The senior students, eagerly help the younger ones who are unable to clap in time. Never is there any discipline, there isn't a need for it. But the climax is the best part. Everybody grabs an instrument, the object being to make as much noise as possible. What results is a thundering crescendo of maracas, tamborines, triangles, drums, bells, blocks and whatever else is within reach. When the concert is over, the children are pleasantly satisfied, content with the virtues of self-expression. VOTE KELLY DEPUTY REEVE A step in the right direction That's a subscription to the Colborne Citizen. Only $6.00 a year Fill in the form and mail it to Box399, Colborne NAME. ADDRESS. (Subscriptions make great gifts. Send one to a friend)