Young Musicians Spotlighted at Winter Recital

Several of the area’s young musicians were in the spotlight at the Creative Arts winter student recital last Friday.  Seventeen performers ranging from pre-schoolers to high school students showed off their talents in the Pilgrim Hall of the First Congregational Church. 

 Creative Arts’ mission is to foster a passion for the arts, and the evening’s production featured the violinists, violist, and pianists who were showing off the results of their studies during the winter. Such an outing also accustoms the musicians to playing in public rather than just at home or in the rehearsal room. The string players are all students of Jenna Potts and Karl Ørvik, while the pianists study with Sheryl LaFayette, Natacha Rist, and Roald Wilson.

 Music instruction at Creative Arts includes the Suzuki Talent Education Program for violin, viola, and piano.  Pioneered in Japan over sixty years ago by Dr. Shinichi Suzuki, this method starts with listening to recordings of the pieces being learned.  Children learn the technique of the instrument and then play increasingly difficult pieces by ear before learning to read music.  Parents are present at every lesson and practice with the child each day.  For the stringed instruments, because children often start at an early age, small-sized instruments are necessary.

 There is also traditional music instruction on all band and orchestral instruments as well as voice and piano.

 The recital demonstrated the progression of musical achievement from four-year-old beginners to high school students who are now able to compete at the highest musical level with their age peers in Northeastern Massachusetts.