‘Three Dances’ for children and parents

‘Three Dances’ for children and parents
Shepherd School’s Young People’s Concert to explore Spanish music

BY JESSICA STARK
Rice News Staff

Musical adventures for the young and young-at-heart will begin at 10 a.m. and noon Feb. 23 in Stude Concert Hall when the Shepherd School of Music presents Manuel de Falla’s “Three Dances” from “The Three-Cornered Hat (Suite No. 2).” Recommended for ages 4 and up, the two Young People’s Concerts are free and open to the public.

Graduate students Thomas Hong and Cristian Macelaru will conduct the Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra as Rachel Buchman, lecturer in music, serves as a narrator for the story. The warm-up piece, Jon Deak’s “Fanfare for Annie O,” will be performed by the Shepherd School Brass Choir and conducted by Marie Speziale, professor of trumpet and chair of Brass.

DAVID LONG

Cristian Macelaru, Rachel Buchman and Thomas Hong will participate in this weekend’s performance at Stude Concert Hall.

“We have chosen music that is child-friendly,” Buchman said. “But it’s not ‘children’s music.’ What we present is challenging, and we hope that parents too will learn something in the themes we explore, the high-level performance and the music itself.”

Head of the Young Children’s Division at the Shepherd School, Buchman has spent more than 25 years teaching music to young people, from toddlers to doctoral students in the U.S., Germany, England and Israel. Researching the connections between children and music, she found singing encourages brain and language development and is one of the most essential educational activities a parent can do with a child. 

With “Three Dances,” Buchman hopes that the audience will learn about what makes Spanish music distinctive by taking a closer listen to the sounds and melodies that are identified with certain cultures. Buchman and Shepherd School student presenters will pose questions to the audience to guide them through the pieces being performed. Flamenco dancers will also help move the stories along.

“One of the most beautiful things about music is that there are two sides to it that are mysteriously combined,” Buchman said. “There’s the scientific, mathematical side and the spiritual, subjective side. Both sides are needed to create this feeling — this enjoyment of the work.”

Buchman credits Larry Rachleff, the Walter Kris Hubert Professor of Orchestra Conducting, with being able to elicit a dual-sided performance from the orchestra.

“Larry has a talent for making every performance incredible by blending the technically excellent with the feeling behind the music,” she said.

The Shepherd Society, a support organization for the music school, began sponsoring the Young People’s Concerts to reach out to children in the community and invite them in to experience music in ways they hadn’t before.

“Like a baseball game at Reckling Park, Stude Concert Hall allows you to see the action up close and feel like you’re only inches away from players,” Buchman said. “It’s a true asset of our school and one we want to share with the community.”

Since Buchman signed on to work on the Young People’s Concerts with Rachleff, they have been involving Shepherd students in all aspects of the concerts — planning, presentation and performance. In addition to playing or singing, students help map out what and how concepts will be presented.

“It’s unique and important training for our students,” Buchman said. “It is becoming increasingly important for symphonies to reach out to their audiences, so there is a good chance that our students will be using the lessons from these concerts throughout their careers.”