THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 20, 1996 TAG: 9607200225
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KIA MORGAN ALLEN , STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 84 lines
They cradled clarinets, carried keyboards and settled in their seats with saxophones.
It was judgment day for more than three dozen middle and high school students attending the five-week Norfolk State University's Summer Music Clinic. And whether they came with some experience or had never laid hands on an instrument, this was their chance to prove themselves.
Through daily music theory classes, students received ear training, sight-singing and music literature lessons. They also worked with computers and attended performance classes.
On Friday, all the training came together at a concert recital.
These youths weren't that advanced, but they were determined. Instead of spending their summer days on the beach complaining about sunburn, they worked in cool classrooms to enhance their musical aptitude.
Joseph Tucker, an 11-year-old clarinetist, didn't mind mom's reasoning for enrolling him in the summer clinic. ``My mom wanted me to learn music so I wouldn't have to flip burgers in the heat,'' he said.
``I like being in the air conditioning.''
Before smiling parents and new-found classroom friends, the closing concert on the clinic's last day featured an array of talent from all 37 students who took part in the summer music session.
``We have really had a wonderful time with the students,'' said Carl G. Harris Jr., head of NSU's music department.
``They have come, they have sung, they have taken their private lessons and they have bonded with one another.''
About 20 young men and women stood before the crowd dressed in suits and dresses. Together, they belted out ``You Shall Have a Song,'' a slow ballad, reminiscent of a gospel hymnal.
The concert moved from singing to instrument playing. Taking the singers' places was a piano ensemble of six stern-faced girls and boys.
With brown fingers arched over black and white keys, they played classical pieces from: ``Heidenroslein'' and ``Theme from Quartet In A Minor'' by Schubert, ``Canon'' by Hauptmann and the more familiar ``Over the Rainbow'' by Arlen/Bastien. The selections were played in one-minute intervals.
When they finished, some cracked small smiles from the corner of their mouths. They were looks that spelled relief.
Other groups with bells, flutes, drums and saxophones sent harmonies floating through the band room - the size of two college classrooms - with an upbeat rendition of ``B B Rock,'' a toe-tapping, finger-snapping tune.
All the while, the crowd stayed focused and cheered the students on through songs and instrumental performances.
The music clinic classes proved to be useful for tenor Antrenise Jennings.
``It helped me to sing properly and breathe properly so that I can sing on tune,'' the 16-year-old Booker T. Washington High School student said.
And as for singing before her peers? As part of Booker T.'s choir group, Jennings says she's used to big groups, so the crowd at NSU couldn't scare her.
Stephanie Johnson, 16, an 11th-grader at Booker T., also felt like she was able to take something away from the clinic.
``It helped me to learn how to read notes better and how to sing notes high,'' she said.
Any middle, junior or high school student can take part in the music clinic. The summer program has operated since the 1970s.
Students who participate pay a $295 tuition fee. If qualified by income, they receive a partial scholarship funded by the Norfolk Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority and the Norfolk State University Brambleton Outreach Center.
The music program provides not only lessons, but also a discipline that comes from within, said Michele Powell, vocal music instructor.
``This overall is just a nurturing program for the children,'' she said. ``When it's time to sit down and learn, this job requires discipline. These children have learned to do that on their own.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by MOTOYA NAKAMURA\The Virginian-Pilot
James Garris, 9, left, and Jermaine Goodman, 12, center, perform
what they have learned at the five-week summer music clinic which
culminated in a concert Friday.
MOTOYA NAKAMURA/The Virginian-Pilot
A vocal ensemble of the Norfolk State University's Summer Music
Clinic performs at Friday's recital. ``They have come, they have
sung, they have taken their private lessons and they have bonded
with one another,'' said Carl G. Harris Jr., head of NSU's music
department. by CNB