By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY
Staff Writer
The instrument petting zoo and concert by the Rim High jazz band drew a sizable audience of children and adults to the Lake Arrowhead Resort on Sunday, April 27.
During the petting zoo, the Blue Jay Jazz Foundation put out numerous instruments – wind instruments, stringed instruments and percussion – and allowed the children to experience, hold and feel and, under the supervisor of a trained professional, play one or several of the instruments for the first time. This enables the child to decide if they like that instrument and may possibly want to learn to play it.
This day, they had an electronic drum set ready to be played, a harp, a guitar, a saxophone, a trumpet and other instruments. Then, afterwards, the jazz band played, letting the students see and hear how some of those instruments sound when played together, making beautiful music.
These three children sat mesmerized as the Rim High jazz band performed. (Photo by Mary-Justine Lanyon)
The enthusiastic students in the jazz band shared some of their excitement at playing their instruments. Some shared this was not the first instrument they had tried; after learning about music, they decided to change instruments and now they are happy they are playing music.
One of those students testing out the instruments was Bennett, a fourth grader from Charles Hoffman Elementary. He was looking at many instruments but was most excited when he sat down at the half-size harp and began strumming the strings. “I want to learn to play music,” Bennett said, “but I do not have an instrument. I’m glad I’m here; this is so much fun.”
The Blue Jay Jazz Foundation (BJJF) has, as their mission, to “build music appreciation and promote audience development to secure the future of jazz as a performing art and support music education in the San Bernardino Mountain communities.” Their educational programs include this petting zoo and the opportunity for the students to borrow an instrument while they learn to play it through its instrument lending program, which enables many students to participate in the school music lesson program or gives the student the opportunity to practice their chosen instrument at home.
The BJJF also accepts the donation of instruments from community members and refurbishes them and, when necessary, makes repairs to the instrument and then loans it out for use by the students. This makes playing music affordable for most any family on the mountain.
After the Rim High jazz band concert, Chris Levister, who has served as the BJJF president, shared the focus of the Foundation. She then solicited donations from audience members to help offset the transportation costs for the student musicians to attend and compete in competitions. Those donations ranged from $20 to $500 and raised more than $4,450 in 15 minutes.
Since 2007, the Blue Jay Jazz Foundation has produced the annual Blue Jay Jazz Festival for the community to be able to experience first-class professional jazz musicians in concert. This year’s festival will take place on Aug. 22, 23 and 24; tickets will go on sale on July 1 at bluejayjazz.org.
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