By Sam Doughton, Managing Editor
The lights in the auditorium dim. The curtain rises to reveal a school orchestra ready to begin its performance. All of a sudden, colored lights begin to flash in the background. A quick movement of the bow sends the orchestra into a frenzy.
Yeah, this isn’t your average orchestra concert.
That’s what Reynolds Arts Magnet director Karen Morris hopes will be true about the music department’s performance when the “Electrify Your Strings” program comes to Reynolds on Tuesday (March 25).
“Electrify Your Strings” (EYS) is a program founded by Mark Wood, a founding member of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and the inventor of the electric violin. According to the organization’s website, their motto is “Igniting Potential, Inspiring Passion.” EYS achieves this through teaching master classes with music students at high schools that culminates in a rock concert for family and friends.
In Reynolds’ case, the students who work with Wood and Laura Kaye, a singer who will work with the chorus students, will perform two concerts: the usual concert during the night and a special performance during the school day for the student body. In total, more than 125 students from Reynolds in the band, orchestra, guitar, piano and chorus departments will work directly with EYS.
“I hope (Electrify Your Strings) is going to energize the school by exposing (Reynolds) to something of such a high quality,” Morris said.
Reynolds became connected to EYS when orchestra teacher Margaret Rehder met Wood at a workshop at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic around Christmas break. Wood’s workshop demonstrated the EYS program and how it affected the schools that it visited.
Rehder got a chance to talk with Wood personally and was put on an email list of potential schools for EYS to visit. Once Rehder returned from the clinic, she immediately contacted Morris about getting EYS to come to Reynolds: “Mrs. Morris has been incredible with getting the publicity out,” Rehder said.
Morris contacted the Arts Council of Winston-Salem about any potential monetary assistance with getting EYS to come. The Arts Council set up Reynolds with two different grants that offered matching donations for every ticket sold and every private donation given. One of these grants is funded by Wells Fargo. As of March 7, the grant was 100 percent funded, with more than $13,000 raised to cover the expenses of bringing the program to RJR.
Wood will not only be teaching the musicians of Reynolds while he is at the school. He visited academic classes Monday to teach students about the physics of sound, among other subjects.
Electrify your Strings has certainly got those students who will be involved excited.
“I hope the student body is culturally and musically enriched by this event,” said sophomore Jeremiah Kamtman, a trombone player. “Who knows? It might attract some people to the arts side of the force and inspire others to further explore their musicality.”
Reynolds students will see a portion of the show in the school-wide performance Tuesday morning. Tickets for the full show in Reynolds Auditorium on Tuesday night at 7:30 cost $15 at the door. Food vendors will be on site before the show starting at 5:30 p.m. to promote a festival-like atmosphere, and raffle tickets will be sold to win one of Wood’s electric violins.
“(EYS) has the ability to expose the community to the wonderful programs and the talented students that are here,” Morris said. “I hope that (the nighttime concert) will be a full auditorium.”
This first YouTube video is an awesome 10-minute look at the wide range of The Mark Wood Experience. The second two videos explain more about the electric violin, which will be raffled off at the concert!
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