BRATTLEBORO — On June 2, 28 fourth- through sixth-graders of Oak Grove School had a unique field trip. They, along with 20 older volunteers, toured three schools in one afternoon with a stop at the River Garden in Brattleboro for their final performance.
The multi-generational group of 47 sang two sea chanties, a 15th-century spring carol, a square-dance to “Smoke on the Water” (not the classic Deep Purple song) and the Beatles' “With A Little Help From My Friends.”
This group is called, appropriately enough, the Intergenerational Chorus. Founded in 1998 at Oak Grove School as a community service project, the chorus has been under the direction and tutelage of Andy Davis for 12 years.
“Irene Bergman was the community service coordinator for the district [in 1998.] There was this idea of community service learning, and she was hired to help teachers find ways to do service projects. We devised this idea that would sing in the community as a service. I tell the kids that we're doing real music outreach, to make connections to the community. Some adult singers have sung with me for over 10 years. We sit older members and young together in the bus and they intermingle, which is really the point of the chorus. We use music as a vehicle to get out and do something that will be appreciated.”
The chorus begins practicing Mondays in April, culminating in three consecutive performances in the first week of June.
“The students get involved because we have a chorus that meets Mondays after lunch. There are 35 people in chorus, and you learn all the songs that will be in the tour. It's a lot of work to travel around and do the concerts.”
The grade-school students need signed permission slips from their parents, and Davis admits that not every student provides the “paperwork” in time, so he tries to narrow the amount of students down to those who “put in the extra effort.”
Davis described the effort and work that goes into putting together three local concerts a year.
“We put an article in the paper in April, and I send e-mails to previous volunteers, set a date and [make] a schedule,” he said. “We've toured with 28 students and 19 adult volunteers, 47 total. The students get involved because we have a chorus that meets Mondays after lunch. There are 35 students in the chorus, and you learn all the songs that will be in the tour. It's a lot of work to travel around and do the concerts. The kids learn that being a performing musician is a lot of work! It looks fun on TV, but that's just smoke and mirrors. You have to really love it.”
This is one choral group that thrives from the obvious generation gap. The adults and the children learn a lot from each other and enjoy interacting while they learn about music.
“The kids get to see older people who have had very interesting lives and love music,” said Davis. “I think we do so many things in our world by age group. We do so much separating by generation. When you put different generations together, everybody wins. The kids feel like they're part of something really big because they have adults as colleagues. I think everybody learns from the generations. Kids hear how adults work and the adults like the exuberance of the kids. I tell the kids that we're doing real music outreach, to make connections to the community.”
Many older members of the Intergenerational Chorus have been singing with the group for years, but Davis claims that age is not something they put much emphasis on.
“I would say that Ed Curtiss of Guilford has sung with me longer than anyone,” said Davis. “He's been the most loyal, and he used to be the principal of a school for children with special needs. I think he may be the oldest, but I'm never sure because we never take ages. The youngest are in fourth grade, they're 10.”
Several of the girls from Oak Grove sang solos during the performance. Milia Harrison, a fourth-grader, was one of them. She's been with the group since April of this year. Another long-time singer in the chorus is Ken Heile, who played banjo for the song “Rolling Home” and has been with the chorus for nearly four years.
“I love it,” said Heile. “It's great to have young people and adults mix every afternoon at school. Everybody enjoys the whole experience, and Andy's so good.”
Davis claims that the exposure to older types of song helps the Oak Grove students learn that music is more than just popular tunes, but a way to reach out and give back to their community.
“Music is an important expression of community and it's not about singing a current favorite pop song. It's part of the fabric of life, and the chorus illustrates that. We do intergenerational learning in other ways in the schools, but maybe we don't do it enough. I'm very proud of the kids. When we go some place it's like “Wow, those kids from Oak Grove have a lot to give.” We have a lot of talented/motivated kids. There's a lot of pride in the project and kids need to feel that school isn't just a place where they're told to do things.”
The success of the annual concerts is also an excellent reflection on the quality of the school and its students.
“When we go someplace it's like 'Wow, those kids from Oak Grove have a lot to give,'” said Davis. “We have a lot of talented, motivated kids. There's a lot of pride in the project and kids need to feel that school isn't just a place where they're told to do things.”