Part of my teaching philosophy is community service. I believe that we can use our music to not only entertain, but also encourage and enlighten. In Clarion, we have the Autumn Leaf Festival week to bring crowds to the streets. We took advantage of this by performing in as many places as we could. The library holds a fundraiser dinner on Friday night and was seeking local performers. I prepared 3 of my best pianists, Noel Anthony, Nathaniel Lerch, and Maialen Petrissans to perform for the masses. They filled the time with their repertoire and some improvisation. I heard from many attendees that they played beautifully and added to the atmosphere of the evening.
Then, on Saturday morning, we lined Wood Street to play for the runners passing by. This was the second year that we were able to perform for the runners, and it was just as appreciated as the first time! Many runners actually cheered on the performers!
We planned to play on Main Street for the full week of the festival, but the weather didn’t cooperate until Wednesday. We had many solo performers and our chorus and band come out to play. I know we drew some attention from passersby who throw spare change and dollars into the case on the sidewalk.
On a chilly craft day, some diehards showed up to play and were able to control frozen fingertips on violins, keyboards, and guitars. Many people paused in the middle of shopping to listen and appreciate.
Great job to everyone who fought through nerves, cold, and exhaustion to bring music to our community!
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