2010 concert at UCLA featured more
than 140 student musicians
Los Angeles, Calif.
-- A citywide student orchestra of more than 140 of the city’s
brightest students from two dozen Los Angeles area public and private
elementary schools presented a one-hour program of classical and
popular music at the 12th annual All Schools Elementary Honor Youth
Orchestra in UCLA’s
Schoenberg Hall on Saturday, May 1, 2010.
The performance, produced by conductor Larry
Newman, featured the children’s symphony, a jazz ensemble,
string ensemble, and several featured performers.
“These students are exceptionally
talented, and together, make music that inspires not only their parents,
but also anyone in Los Angeles who is interested in music, the arts
and education,” said Newman. “The honors orchestra is a
diverse group of children that come together to play beautiful music
in a professional concert setting.”
Now in its 12th year, this orchestra
is the first and only collaboration of the city’s best and brightest
public and private elementary school music students. “It is a
shining example of the power and importance of music education in the
school curriculum,” said Newman.
Each child is individually selected by
his/her school music teacher. Student ages range from seven to twelve,
with the average age of an honor orchestra member being just ten years
old.
The Children’s Music Workshop,
founded by Newman in 1992, provides instrumental music instruction
to schools throughout Los Angeles.The rehearsal and performance was
video taped for broadcast in high definition.
Orchestra Kids 2010
All Schools Elementary Honor Orchestra at UCLA
Student & Teacher
Win Emmy for Youth Program by SUE PASCOE, Staff Writer, Palisades Post
Fifteen years ago, Eric Jasper played trumpet as a third grader at
Marquez Elementary, where his instructor was Larry Newman. This past
August, the two Palisadians won an Emmy in the Children/Youth Programming
category for Newman's Children's Music Workshop's 2008 production
of the All Schools Elementary Honor Orchestra, which was held on
May 2.
Jasper, 26, attended Stanford and graduated with a double major in
music composition and political science. He received a graduate degree
in film scoring from USC. However, his education truly began in Pacific
Palisades.
'Larry helped me get started in the music world,' Jasper says. 'He
is a great teacher and a mentor who gave me the confidence to keep
going with my music. I owe him a lot and I thought it would be a good
way to reconnect with him and the music community.'
'When I learned he was starting his career as a film composer,' Newman
says, 'I asked him if he'd like to do the background for my one-hour
special. I told him I couldn't pay him, but that I could give him a
producing credit.'
Newman also gave him artistic freedom. Jasper wrote six different
musical cues for the opening, closing and transitional phases of the
special.
The concert featured 130 elementary students from two-dozen Los Angeles
area elementary schools. The show also included interviews with parents,
students, teachers and administrators on the importance of music in
the school curriculum.
Jasper played trumpet and keyboard for the special, in addition to
recording the music, 'a hybrid of rock and orchestral music. I wanted
to capture the inspirational tone of the production.'
This was the second Emmy for Newman, who won in 2008 and noted at
the time, 'This is meaningful, since I am first and foremost a musician
and a music teacher.'
This year, his special was up against KNBC's children's series, 'Yip
Yap,' 'so we were quite surprised and thrilled to win,' Newman says.
'The idea for the televised show,' he continues, 'originally came
a number of years ago from one of my students' parents, who was a producer
and offered to tape the concert and put together a show for [cable
station] LA36.' LA36 has broadcast the annual concert for the past
six years.
This year was Jasper's first walk to the Emmy podium.
'It was a great feeling to be up there in front of everybody, and
receive recognition for something that you've put a lot of time and
effort into,' he says. 'But more than any award, my ultimate goal is
to be a composer for major movies and television shows.'
Jasper has orchestrated music for two films, 'Ninja' and 'Cool Dog,'
which are waiting release dates. He also arranged the music for 'Lies
and Illusions,' a film which opens this month. While at USC, he served
as an intern on 'Lost' under Michael Giacchino, who won a 2008 Grammy
Award for Best Score, Soundtrack Album for 'Ratatouille.'
Newman and Jasper are currently completing production of the 2009
concert program.
'This year, there are more interviews with students, so I'm composing
a piece of music for each kid that matches their character,' Jasper
says.
