THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 12, 1996 TAG: 9605100195
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 09 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
The Chesapeake Central Library wants to string you along.
The city's main library branch has scheduled a program Tuesday by the Harborlight String Ensemble.
Why is it called Harborlight?
``We're a Young Audiences ensemble,'' said group leader and first violinist Blair Nesbit-Jackson. ``So we chose `harborlight' to represent the light of education.''
But make no mistake, even though the string quartet educates its audiences in music with a smattering of history thrown in for good measure, the group never bores.
Young Audiences of Virginia is a non-profit arts-in-education program bringing arts activities and programs to schools, churches and area festivals and events.
``We play everything,'' Nesbit-Jackson said. ``We open our program with bluegrass and we include baroque, classical and romantic along with 20th century music like jazz and Scott Joplin. But none of the music we play is performed in its entirety. We don't present concerts. Our program is an educational tool, but people don't know it because they're usually having too much fun.''
Nesbit-Jackson said the group involves the audience from beginning to end.
``Our education is happening in a fun way,'' she said. ``We involve the audience. At one point in our program a person will play cello. And it's usually a person who's never played the cello before. We offer a hands-on musical experience.''
Joining Nesbit-Jackson are second violinist Bill Fearnside, violinist Tony DeMarco and cellist Boris Nixon. All four are members of the Virginia Symphony with DeMarco being the Symphony's assistant concertmaster.
Nesbit-Jackson said all four members are also area music educators, teaching or having taught at public and private schools and private lessons.
The ensemble has been performing at weddings and parties as ``the gig group'' and then as a Young Audiences fun and education ensemble for a little over a year.
``At our gigs we play whatever people want,'' she said. ``But when we play as a Young Audiences group we base our shows around music education. We present the basic fundamentals of music. Our aim is to educate both young and old. We found that many children and adults don't know how to listen.''
Nesbit-Jackson said many people don't necessarily know why they like a certain piece of music. She said it's up to her and her three stringy cohorts to offer a music 101 session, all sugar-coated in fun.
``We help people discern certain components of music,'' she said. ``It's important to know the basics of this art form called music, it's an international language. And if you can understand this international language, then your cultural intellect raises several notches. If people understand music, they will seek it out on their own.''
One way to get youngsters - and their parents - to take to music and its basic principles is to get them involved, she said.
``We do constant audience participation throughout whole programs,'' she said. ``They are not sitting idly by. We have them clapping hands, snap fingers and sing.'' MEMO: Tuesday's program is being sponsored by Betty Minette Cooper, a Young
Audiences board member, in honor of Shirley Jiral, a loved and admired
Chesapeake resident and lifelong volunteer who died last fall.
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