Students learn about classical music from Allegria Ensemble

Students at Our Lady of Victory Catholic School primarily learn about contemporary music when in music class.

But late last month, a trio of musicians from the Centre Region-based Allegria Ensemble came to the school to help promote classical music — something Principal Samantha Weakland said is a big part of music education and helps improve the appreciation of the art.

“We recognized that listening and playing classical music is associated with better improving children’s memories, decreasing stress and sparking creativity,” she said. “All those are things we want for all of our students (and) while these students work on more contemporary pieces with their instructors, they also learn and perform classical pieces.”

Staff at OLV also believe it’s important to help teach students that classical music is not “old music or music that only the students in the strings program play,” Weakland said.

“I think sometimes how children are exposed to a type of music or what they associate with it — can taint their interest and understanding,” she said. “Classical music is not classic music like a classic car. Classical music (is) not old music. It is a type of music that is alive and well today.”

Experiencing live music of that genre helps students better understand that.

“It is more powerful for children to see people in our own community valuing, performing and enjoying classical music, and that is just what a performance by Allegria does,” Weakland said.

Oboist Robyn Dixon Costa, cellist Jon Dexter and violist Debbie Trudeau from the Allegria Ensemble made appearances at OLV and Young Scholars of Central Pennsylvania Charter School as part of the How to Listen to Classical Music program.

Sponsored by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Music Performance Trust Fund of the American Federation of Musicians, the program helps aquatint youth with listening to a variety of styles heard at classical music concerts, promote the genre and promote cultural literacy though classical music, a report from the ensemble said.

“We focus here on young people who may not have prior exposure to this repertoire, which is part of the western classical culture experience,” Trudeau said. “Our youth are open to new experiences and will absorb this into their burgeoning culture awareness. Regardless of their prior experience, everyone should learn that music is a uniquely human universal language.”

The sessions included two- to four-minute pieces that span four centuries, and a question and answer session with students.

Young Scholars music teacher Anna Jones said the performers began by introducing themselves and their individual instruments to the students.

The ensemble, which played for about 40 minutes, performed a variety of music, from classics by George Frideric Handel and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, to blues and music by more contemporary composers.

“In our increasingly digital society, many children have not experienced the sight and sound of real instruments,” Jones said. “Students witnessing the beauty of the music, and the dedication and the joy of the musicians, is a great way for them to get excited about music in general and playing an instrument in particular.”

This story was originally published June 20, 2017 at 11:32 PM with the headline "Students learn about classical music from Allegria Ensemble."