Children

Children’s concert to feature classic story

BY LINDSEY FIELDER
Rice News staff

The Shepherd School of Music’s Symphony Orchestra will perform Sergei Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” at 11 a.m. Jan. 29. Graduate students Daniel Myssyk and Ghun Kim will lead the orchestra in a performance intended to cultivate children’s interest and knowledge in music.

Rachel Buchman, early childhood music specialist at the Shepherd School, will narrate the story about a boy who disobeys his grandfather and goes into the meadow where wolves roam. “The piece is so well-done,” she said. “It’s not childish or baby-ish at all. It’s heroic and scary, but not sentimental.”

The music is composed so that each character has its own motif that is clearly recognized. Peter’s theme is played by the strings, the grandfather by the bassoon and the wolf by the French horn. “The music is truly frightening when the wolf comes out,” Buchman said. “Kids can recognize the distinct emotion of the music for each character.”

The text and the music are bound together so that neither dominates. A minimal amount of text is then demonstrated with the music. “This piece is so beautifully done that neither the music nor the text could be independent,” Buchman said. “These two different forms come together to make up the work that is intended.”

This technique is perfect for children because the text leads the story, but their imaginations fill in the blanks while the music plays. “Prokofiev understood the exact attention span of children,” she said. “There is the perfect amount of each form to keep children interested.”

Buchman said the nonvisual stimulation is a welcome change for children because “they are actively using their imaginations, and with television and video games, kids don’t do this enough.”

The annual concerts for children are held in Stude Concert Hall, Alice Pratt Brown Hall, because of its small size, she said. “The intimate size of the hall is such an appropriate place to introduce children to orchestral music,” Buchman said. “They can see the musicians, and they’re close to the stage.”

A firm believer in the importance of music for young children, Buchman has been teaching for 22 years. From toddlers to doctoral students, she has taught music around the world, including in Germany, England and Israel.

Myssyk and Kim are both studying at the Shepherd School under Larry Rachleff, professor of orchestral conducting.

The performance is intended for ages 4 and up. Attendance is free and open to the public. No tickets or reservations are required.