Today we performed two really fun assemblies for some students at Manhattan Beach Middle School. We had such a great time! The school’s facilities are just gorgeous, and the students were an absolutely excellent audience. They even laughed at our bad jokes. We showed them all of the crazy sounds our instruments can make — Rich quacked on his reed, I made a siren on my mouthpiece, and Karin sang and flutter-tongued her way through a tune. I think that we managed to teach the students a few things, but I know that they also loved our versions of “I Want You Back” and “Don’t Stop Believing.” It’s still funny to me that the quintessential 80s rock song is now beloved by an entirely new generation, thanks to “Glee.” Have these students even heard of Journey, or do they just know the song? Either way, it’s a great tune, and it was great to play it for an appreciative audience.
It is so much fun to connect with the next generation of musicians, we had such a great time meeting everyone! This is actually the first educational outreach program that Third Wheel has done, and now that we know how much fun it is, I’m sure it will not be our last. So many thanks go to Jim Eninger for stopping by, and Karla Devine at Trinity Lutheran Church for sponsoring our program today! And of course thanks to Denise Haslop and everyone at Manhattan Beach Middle School for hosting us and leading such a strong music program. The three of us at Third Wheel are all products of public school music education, and it means so much to us to be able to support and continue that tradition!
