Arts Activities Support

We performed for 488 individuals, including staff, community members, and children. The biggest groups each had 61 people; the smallest was 11. Counselors surveyed responded 100% positively to the questions we posed: did the kids engage with the games, was the concept of musical teamwork clearly conveyed, was the quality of performance high. We felt that we achieved our artistic goals, presenting high quality intimate concerts to an underserved population, kids 6-12 at Minneapolis Park Recreation Centers. Presented in the Rec centers all-purpose rooms, the children sat or lay on the carpet listening directly in front of the musicians, all with a clear view and clear perception of what music making entailed. We were especially happy with the total, and accurate, participation of the kids in the "Identify Who Has the Melody?" game, where they would stand when "their team member" had the ball (melody). We repeated that activity with a different piece after the first presentation. Other things we changed were the order - one piece was harder for the children to comprehend, so we put it further along and added a story about it so that that could better visualize "Alligator Escalator" (by John Adams). Challenges? Playing outside Lake Hiawatha Center in gale force winds; their designated room was too full of gear on the day we arrived. Concentration was not good in a couple cases due to the 100 degree heat of the afternoon. When we repeat this, we also will write up some basic expectations about listening to music for the counselors to convey prior to our arrival: we found some counselors prepared the children for the experience much better than others, and the children were especially receptive. Also when we repeat this experience, we will have different musicians talk with the children, not just one focal person, so as to more fully engage them with each instrument. Sunshine Concerts did reach our intended community, kids aged 6 - 12 and their parents, plus community members. Our intention was to reach kids, people of less economic means, and according to the musicians' and staff reports, we reached a significantly higher proportion of racially diverse people than in our concert season. Staging these concerts in the Rec Centers meant that not only were there day care kids in the concerts, but in two instances, many people voting nearby heard music and stopped in to enjoy the music as well. General public attendees found out thru our web-site, the Park and Recreation Board web-site, posters in the centers and in coffee shops nearby, thru Facebook, ours and theirs, and - this was especially helpful - e-letters sent out by the individual centers. Handicap accessibility to the centers allowed at least one child with multiple disabilities and oxygen to attend; he couldn't speak, but took the violinist's hand and kissed her afterwards. Because of the geographical spread of the centers, we played for all races and ethnicities served by the city parks. Feedback from centers included: Nokomis: "one of the highlights of the summer. Our group has a hard time settling down and I was impressed by their engagement…and interaction with the musicians. The overall experience was fantastic." Armatage: "We'd love to have them back!" Kenwood: "My kids and I loved the Bakken Trio." The musicians' favorite remark: "You watch, I'm going to be just like you one day!"