Most upstart bands would be lucky to open for multi-platinum artists and play for thousands of people. Doing it less than a year after forming would make them even more fortunate. Add in the fact that said band is comprised solely of 13 and 14-year-olds, and the scenario seems almost impossible. But it really did happen last year for seven students from Fort Collins’s Kinard Middle School, thanks to the guidance and support of the Kids Create the Music Foundation. Now returning for its second year, Kids Create the Music is hoping to once again provide its unique brand of music education – one where the curriculum includes going to class and playing packed shows.
“The Kids Create the Music Foundation wants to build on existing musical programs and opportunities,” says program director Suna Thomas. “We want to broaden the scope and diversity of musical education in the middle school system, so we help form bands and provide them with equipment and guidance.”
The program was established to encourage students to play their preferred musical instrument, whether or not it fits into traditional music programs in Northern Colorado middle schools. Last year’s project brought together young musicians whose instruments ranged from the violin to the electric guitar, and helped them learn to play together.
The foundation does far more than simply giving upstart musicians a place to play their instruments. The program ensures that students get high quality experience in a professional setting, providing access to instructors, instruments, practice facilities and concert venues.
“It’s not just a garage band, it’s far more than that,” adds Thomas. “We want to make things as professional as possible.”
By all accounts, KCTMF’s inaugural campaign at Kinard Middle School was a rousing success. The program’s first year oversaw the formation of the Kinard House Band, a seven-piece ensemble of some of the school’s most talented musicians. The band then spent much of the year learning and rehearsing a diverse array of classic rock and pop music under the direction of instructor David Parsons.
The end result was a group that had not only mastered material from The Beatles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Santana, Michael Jackson and Muse, but was then able to play it live. After getting the songs down, the band performed to thousands of people when it opened for Train at the Thunder Mountain Amphitheatre and played at halftime for the Colorado Eagles. Their performance for the Eagles went so well that the team has asked the program to put on another halftime show for the coming season.
For its second year, the foundation is adding vocalists as well as technical and audio support into the fold. Interested middle schoolers do not have to be excluded simply because they do not play the drums or guitar. However, despite expanding its potential roster, the program remains highly selective. But KCTMF even sees value in that:
“Kids audition for instructors, who pick the top kids to create a band,” explains Thomas. “It’s like real life experience – they go in, they showcase their talent and they see what it takes.”
For those lucky enough to make it, the benefits speak for themselves. Beyond the excitement of learning classics and performing live, the foundation prides itself on providing qualities like confidence, teamwork and accountability in its participants.
“The band gets to work in a small ensemble and learn how to become team players,” notes Thomas. “They learn that everyone has a part and they get to create music together. Each person holds a piece of the puzzle, but when all the pieces are together it makes a great picture.”
The area is starting to take notice. The program is now looking to expand to other middle schools, and has elicited interest from several both inside and outside the Poudre district – including Lincoln and Polaris. It also is being championed by local institutions such as 96.1 KISS FM, Chipper’s Lanes and Shaped Music. In addition to continuing on with the Kinard House Band, KCTMF’s current goal is to have programs in five other schools by the end of the 2010-2011 school years.
But despite the widespread local funding, KCTMF still needs additional support to realize that goal. Readers interested in donating to the program are encouraged to visit the foundation’s website listed at the bottom of the article.
Though traditionalists may turn their noses up at the idea of KCTMF’s more contemporary vision of music education, the results are hard to deny. Last year the Kinard House Band rocked shows across the Front Range and won over fans in droves…and it was done for educational means.
Though Pink Floyd famously pleaded with teachers to leave the kids alone, the Kids Create the Music Foundation might have those students singing a different tune.
Find out more and donate to Kids Create the Music at www.kidscreatethemusic.org.
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