The Eclectic Music Room Open House

We have so many events these days, we never know how many people to expect. Because there is a core group of folks who attend anything and everything (and have the chops to show for it), we have stopped worrying about it. Nevertheless, we were delighted to welcome a healthy crowd at our inaugural Eclectic Music Room party.

Things started off kind of quiet (maybe that's the wrong word):

Soon the kids filled up with sugar and the room filled up with people. One significant change for me was that I didn't have to emcee - people just took turns playing, and there was rarely a lull. We were fortunate to hear from Laura Benjamin and A.J. Holz of LB Collective, who can't resist dusting off old unexpected pop hits that sound ridiculously great with Laura's Martina-McBride-by-way-of-Disney-princess vocals.

We heard everything from Scott Joplin to Jason Mraz to Mozart to Suzuki on piano, drums, guitar, and violin, and a few kids trying out some Beatles tunes in anticipation of our Beatles night next weekend. Grady High School student Lily Zintak stopped by to present a couple of original tunes.

One of my goals with The Eclectic Music Room is to create a space in which people, particularly children, can feel comfortable experiencing music without having to be "on" the whole time. Sitting in one chair for a ninety-minute concert can be exhausting even for adults, never mind those shows where standing up for three hours is the norm. So having a variety of seating options (from folding chairs to leather couches to the floor) is important, as is creating a zone where kids can hear the music and absorb it while doing other activities. This, by the way, is how I grew up - safe and secure in the bosom of the family, surrounded by brightly strummed guitars and multi-part harmony. Therefore, I was thrilled that the young children in attendance made a beeline for the toys I had set out. I watched them take breaks from their play to get close to the performers, then take breaks from watching in order to go back to the toys.

At Eclectic Music, students are used to playing in front of people, since they get so many opportunities to do so. However, never before have we had a space of our own, that matched the aesthetic sensibility of the rest of our school's facilities and the relaxed performance ethic we have developed together. The night felt exactly the way I had hoped it would, and I am looking forward to sharing The Eclectic Music Room with those students who are performing in the Fall Recital next month.