Arts/Entertainment Local artists Glendale Junction and the Border Band
Glendale Junction and the Border Band
| Arts & Entertainment |
Today was the last rehearsal for ‘Glendale Junction and the Border Band’ before the theatre doors open at Glendale Elementary School next week. A country/rock band will take the stage to back up 25 young singers from the school in a lively community concert that will entertain, inspire and showcase the talent of local kids.
(Carol Begg, Grade 4 student and member of ‘Glendale Junction’, says that the audiences at the concerts next week are in for some fun surprises.)
The project began in January and has built in excitement and momentum over the past three months. Director LeRae Haynes began by meeting with the kids for one hour a week and teaching them songs. The kids started with a warm-up chorus from a Sarah McLaughlin song, which they sing at the beginning of every rehearsal and performance, and then learned a Keith Urban song---all in the first hour.
The kids, who gave up half their lunch hours to join the group, have learned songs by artists like the Arrogant Worms, Melissa Etheridge, John Fogerty and Great Big Sea, as well as two fun originals by LeRae called ‘The Frog’ and ‘Hey Galahad.’
As the weeks went by, members of the ‘Border Band’ started putting in appearances when work schedules allowed, including the drummer on a modified drum kit, the rhythm guitar player on an unplugged 12-string acoustic, followed by the bass and lead guitar players—although rarely all at the same time.
Border Band also attended evening practices for the past few weeks to prepare for the concerts. The group is made up of five local musicians from a wide range of backgrounds and musical styles. The group played with local kids’ singing group ‘Borderline’ in Williams Lake for several years, and individual members also have other musical groups and projects.
(Rick Kokesch)
Rick Kokesch plays 12-string acoustic guitar, and brings an easy country-style sound to the mix. He is a strong believer in the value of a positive musical experience for kids and has enjoyed watching the increase in self confidence and skill in kids over the years as they work with seasoned musicians and enjoy fun stage opportunities.
Ken Yarema is the bass player for the group, and along with Dan St. Amand, lead electric guitar player, has been seen on stage over the years with a band most recently called ‘Lava Lamp and the Mood Poodles,’ for events like the Harvest Fair and Performances in the Park.
Piano player and singing director LeRae Haynes is a partner in local music group ‘Perfect Match’, which plays concerts, fundraisers and dances throughout the Cariboo. She also directed ‘Borderline’ for 26 years—a group of 20-30 kids singing with a country/rock band.
(Ken Yarema)
Drummer Mark Law played with Borderline for two years and was delighted to come on board and play with Glendale Junction for these performances. His daughter, Megan, sang in Borderline while he was the drummer, and the opportunity to play in a band with her was something he says he’ll never forget. “What a great experience to play music with kids—we all learn something and it’s always fun,” he said. “This experience is something that these kids will carry with them all their lives.”
“This has been so fun—I’ve never been in anything like this before and wanted to try it,” Grade 4 Carol Begg said. “I’d never played a kazoo before. At first it seemed hard because I didn’t even know what it looked like or how to play it and now it’s easy.”
She said that she really likes the songs they get to sing. “My favourite is ‘Mean’ by Taylor Swift,” she said. “And ‘Hey Galahad’ makes me laugh. I’m really looking forward to the performance next week.
“I think that when people hear us, they will say, ‘I hope they do this again!’ They’ll be happy that their kids get to be part of this.”
(Dan St. Amand)
Teacher Kari Johnson said that when she first heard about the project she knew that the kids would absolutely love it. “They just don’t have this kind of opportunity—I knew this would be something exciting for them,” she said.
The group includes kids from the regular curriculum and from the French Immersion program—a fun joint project that brings the two groups together and features song introductions done by students in both English and French.
“I saw a change in the kids during that first hour. They started out unsure and uncertain and when they found out that they were going to be allowed to be themselves and have fun with what they were doing, it was a night and day difference from the beginning of that hour to the end.”
She said there are some kids in the groups who have probably never sung out loud before, and that most have never had stage experience. “I think the parents are going to be thrilled. We have had tons of positive comments from parents who have said, ‘My child loves this so much,’ and from parents, students and teachers who have heard snippets from down the hall during rehearsals,” she continued.
(Mark Law)
“I think this project can have a positive affect on the community by reminding people that there really is a need for arts for our kids. There aren’t that many opportunities like this out there. If you want to pay for your child to learn to play an instrument, you can do those types of things, but there aren’t a lot of group activities.
“School is really good at celebrating academic success. School is really good at celebrating athletic success. It’s really good at celebrating kids who can behave.
“Not a lot of us are comfortable with our ability to teach the arts or offer extra things when it comes to the arts. You really have to have some kind of specialized knowledge and experience to do it,” she explained. “I think sometimes we’re not able to offer what we’d like in terms of arts at the school level.
“Something like this might open the community up to offering more opportunities to kids. Everyone shines somewhere,” she said. “And when you offer kids more opportunities to try different things you find out where they shine.”
There will be two ‘Glendale Junction’ free, public concerts next week in the Glendale Theatre from 7:00-8:00pm: one on Tuesday April 3 and one on Wednesday, April 4.
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