By Emma Prillaman: Da Capo Charter Student

Being a piano student at the Da Capo Institute is an inspiring, once in a lifetime experience that I wouldn’t want to miss. This experience enhanced, not only my piano playing skills but also my piano playing skills, but also my ability to play in front of others.

Every five weeks all individual students, (including voice, piano, violin, and flute) come together and share their music in a gathering called Studio Class. In Studio Class, first, everyone shares their name and what musical instrument they would share. Next, one at a time they would share their musical talent with everyone. After, the students acting as the audience would comment on the performance given, commenting on what the performer could improve on, and what he or she did right. Everyone went home trying to remember the constructive criticism they’d been given.

Being a part of The Da Capo Institute has inspired me to use my gift to help people in my community. One way I made a difference was by going to Morningside, a home for elderly folks who need assistance, and I performed. When I glanced out at the audience, everyone was smiling, so I knew I had made a difference in their day.

You may not know this, but I’m also a singer, I’m a part of Da Capo’s group voice instruction, Animato. You may be wondering, “What does Da Capo and Animato mean?” Well, Da Capo means start from the beginning in Italian, and Animato means animated.

I’ve let Da Capo make a difference in my life, how about you?

By Alyssa Prillaman - Da Capo Charter Student

When I was nine, I became a singer in Animato, a singing group designed for children in third, fourth, and fifth grade. We sang bunches of new and different songs, ranging from an opera chorus in “Carmen”, to an old African American spiritual song. We even learned a song called “Marienwurmchen”, which means ladybug in German.

During all sessions, we would have a focus point, such as folk songs or opera. Sometimes, we had interesting visitors come and talk to us about what kind of music they made. Completing fun homework assignments was also cool. We got the chance to make acrostics and we even illustrated one song. I learned a lot from researching famous composers, like Johannes Brahms and George Bizet.

The teachers were probably the best part about Animato. Mr. Lindsey rocks out on the piano for us and he always gives a little pizzazz to the group. Miss Heidi sometimes accompanies us on her flute, also. Last, but certainly not least, my mom, Miss Tracee, is the main director. She always manages to make you feel at home and you can ask her anything!

Animato and I have been an awesome pair these past couple of years, but I can’t wait until the fall when I will be in Cantare, the middle school group. I’ve learned so many new things this year, but now, it’s time for me to go up, up, and away soaring to new heights!

Each day I work with my Da Capo students, I am convinced that love it, learn it, live it is the right approach! Each week, I see my students, young and old, coming to me with excitement and a real passion for what they do!

We study hard learning about the voice or the piano, music history, musical terms and language, notes, and rhythms. Over the course of our time together, we talk about how we've shared our music with others or how we plan to do that in the coming week. The students almost always leave feeling encouraged about themselves and the music they made that day. Yes, we work hard each time we come together, but it is always worth it!

I tell my students all the time that there is no down-side to making/studying music. This is so true! What a wonderful way to spend your time-singing, playing, composing, listening. It does require discipline, practice, and determination. However, look at the opportunities it provides for self-expression, personal growth and development, and exposure to the beautiful things in life.

I encourage all of you as readers to spend your time making music.

I was inspired and humbled by Bel Canto's generous time donations for the CARITAS event at HRBC last night. As we sang through the hymns and I listened to the joyous offerings of beautiful music by Bel Canto and the solo artists, I was burdened by our inability to do more for these people from OUR community. Thank you to all who sang, listened, and contributed.


Charles Hulin said...

Things I liked about the performance for Caritas:

1. Bel Canto folks and Caritas folks being together

2. Team work - each musician was prepared to offer what would best serve the occasion - vocal solos, instrumental numbers, background singing, etc.

3. Spontaneity - the willingness to be flexible and adjust the program, personel, and the way we performed each piece according to the feeling in the room at the moment - I think it would be a great experience to practice doing this more to develop deep sensitivity to the dynamics of performance and of performing together.

For those who want to know more about CARITAS, here's a paragraph from their website:

CARITAS (Congregations Around Richmond Involved To Assure Shelter) was organized in the early 1980's to respond to the huge unmet need for emergency shelter for homeless adults in the cold winter months. With its name derived from the Latin word for charity, today CARITAS is the largest emergency shelter program in our community. More than 170 faith communities provide over 37,000 nights of shelter. Our congregation-based model mobilizes thousands of volunteers annually.