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Time to put something back....

Discussion in 'Miscellaneous [BG]' started by Rockin John, Jul 9, 2003.

  1. Jul 9, 2003 #1
    Rockin John

    Rockin John

    Dec 20, 2000
    Leicestershire, UK.
    Next Tuesday I'm taking my basses + gear into my lad's school. (The kids are 10 / 11 year olds.) I'm going to take a couple of ordinary elec. guitars, too.

    The idea is to enrich the school's music teaching by giving them first hand experience of a family of instruments that changed the world. The kids hear / see / use recorders, percussion, pianos, violin, etc at school but most of them will never have seen an electric guitar in the flesh.

    I'll play a bit, talk about playing in a band, show them the instruments, how they're made and so on. I'll play them Hendrix's Purple Haze (IMHO the man and the song that really kicked off the revolution) perhaps some blues from a CD as a way of introducing the all conquring 12 bar: who knows what else.

    Should be a good session. :cool:

    John
     
  2. Jul 9, 2003 #2
    fclefgeoff

    fclefgeoff Supporting Member

    Jan 3, 2002
    Illinois
    Right on, Rockin John! It's good to see some musical "philanthropy" going on. Good for you! You should be proud of yourself. I'm sure those youngsters will have a blast.
    :D
     
  3. Jul 9, 2003 #3
    Rockin John

    Rockin John

    Dec 20, 2000
    Leicestershire, UK.
    Just consulting the dictionary for philanthropy....
     
  4. Jul 9, 2003 #4
    fclefgeoff

    fclefgeoff Supporting Member

    Jan 3, 2002
    Illinois
    One entry found for philanthropy.


    Main Entry: phi·lan·thro·py
    Pronunciation: -pE
    Function: noun
    Inflected Form(s): plural -pies
    Etymology: Late Latin philanthropia, from Greek philanthrOpia, from philanthrOpos loving people, from phil- + anthrOpos human being
    Date: circa 1623
    1 : goodwill to fellowmen; especially : active effort to promote human welfare
    2 a : a philanthropic act or gift b : an organization distributing or supported by philanthropic funds
     
  5. Jul 9, 2003 #5
    Rockin John

    Rockin John

    Dec 20, 2000
    Leicestershire, UK.
    Hmmm. Well, that's quite a good word I guess.

    I'm a governor at my lad's school, anyway, and governors go in from time to time to help in many ways. This is just another 'help'.

    John
     
  6. Jul 9, 2003 #6
    Tyler Hole

    Tyler Hole

    Dec 14, 2002
    San Luis Obispo, California
    wanna come to my highschool :D
     
  7. Jul 10, 2003 #7
    Petebass

    Petebass

    Dec 22, 2002
    QLD Australia
    My original band did a similar thing. We were approached by a kids charity regarding one of their programs. It was called "Jam for awareness", the theory bieng that instead of having a guy in a suit traveling to schools and preeching about how bad drugs are, they'd get a band to play a show instead. Large PA, big light show, the whole works.

    We did 2 things to make it better. Firstly we encouraged the school to supply a support band made up of students. Secondly we would conduct clinics afterwards. Si'd find myself in a classroom with anywhere between 5 and 30 bass players who all wanted to pick my brain

    I found it very rewarding and you will too John.....
     
  8. Jul 10, 2003 #8
    luisnovelo

    luisnovelo

    Apr 3, 2001
    Guadalajara, México
    That must rule! :)

    Ive taken my bass to school to show other students my age and younger, how I relate music with architecture, kind of twisted concept maybe at first sight..(i study architecture) but, anyway.. they loved it.. Students and teachers.. Some of them had never seen seen an electric guitar or bass either, most didn't know it was a bass.. But their reaction to what I did was great.. I felt very happy for it.

    And I've been idolized by little kindergarten children long ago just for being sympathetic to them.. So I know what it feels when kids like you and want to be like you for showing them something fun and interesting that catches their attention.


    I can imagine how those kids would react to what you're going to do.. I would have been COMPLETELY BLOWN AWAY if I had seen someone playing an electric bass live in front of me when I was 10 or 11.. I loved bass at that age but thought I'd never ever own and play one..
    :)


    So good luck with your lesson! take in count that some kids might never forget the experience.[​IMG]
     
  9. Jul 11, 2003 #9
    Rockin John

    Rockin John

    Dec 20, 2000
    Leicestershire, UK.
    Good morning, folks...("G'day, cobba", to Pete;) ) and thanks for the kind thoughts.

    There'll be about 100 kids split into 2 groups of 50: 10 and 11 year olds. Exactly how this will go, I'm not sure; I don't exactly know what I'm going to do but the sessions should last about 20 - 30 minutes each.

    I'm taking my vintage Laney valve amp (1960s) and a modern guitar practice amp to use with the ordinary guitars. We can compare the two types.

    As I play Yamahas, and having a contact at Yamaha UK, they've kindly sent me 100 off of each of their 4 different product brochures [electrics, acoustics, keyboards, drums] so that each kid can have a set to take home...

    :cool: THANKS YAMAHA IF YOU'RE LISTENING

    ...and I've drawn up some stuff describing the different parts of a guitar / bass. Again, each kid keeps a copy.

    My lad (8) was going to take his drum kit, too, but has pulled out because of the reaction he's likely to get from the older kids. He's quite an accomplished drummer with his own full size kit: he's played on gigs with us before.

    But the best bit is that all the kids'll think I'm this big rock star :eek: ;)

    We'll have to see how it goes.

    John
     
  10. Jul 11, 2003 #10
    Tyler Hole

    Tyler Hole

    Dec 14, 2002
    San Luis Obispo, California
    Thats great that you let him gig with you, you must be a really big influence on his life and thats good. Keep it up dude. ~ Tyler
     
  11. Jul 14, 2003 #11
    Rockin John

    Rockin John

    Dec 20, 2000
    Leicestershire, UK.
    Thanks, 'NBP66.

    But see my thread, "I'm Gutted", in Off Topic.

    :bawl:

    John
     
  12. Jul 14, 2003 #12
    thumbtrap

    thumbtrap

    Jun 26, 2003
    Did you play Purple Haze for that one :D
     
  13. Jul 14, 2003 #13
    Tyler Hole

    Tyler Hole

    Dec 14, 2002
    San Luis Obispo, California
    Just read it, sorry to hear that man. Hopefully he will take it back up! He seems like quite the lil drummer.
     
  14. Jul 14, 2003 #14
    Osama_Spears

    Osama_Spears

    Jan 7, 2003
    Baltimore,MD
    Thats sweet dude...

    to bad I didn't pay attention in my 8th grade Music class:meh:

    we played w/ Acoustic guitars and ukelele's


    -Jon:oops:
     
  15. Jul 16, 2003 #15
    Rockin John

    Rockin John

    Dec 20, 2000
    Leicestershire, UK.
    Well, the sessions really went fine. The 15/20 minutes allocated for each actually ran 1 hour each.

    Everybody had a great time including me. A teacher told me how the kids were saying what a great player I was. Not sure whether or not that's a good thing: is it easier or harder to fool 11 year olds :eek: ?

    The thing that amazed me was their reaction when I crunched out a bit of a Status Quo style 12 bar on the 6 string. I expected loads of yawns and disinterest. No a bit of it. They rocked and tapped their feet, etc. Even though they're unlikely to have come across that sort of stuff more than very occasionally, there was an instant affinity with it. Don't really know what that shows - if anything - but it certainly surprised me.

    Cheers.

    John
     
  16. Jul 16, 2003 #16
    fclefgeoff

    fclefgeoff Supporting Member

    Jan 3, 2002
    Illinois
    It shows me that you can't go wrong with the blues. ;)