Alex Larsen sat in front of fifth graders at Bonita Springs Elementary and left them in awe with a 38-pound instrument most kids had never seen before.
Although he has been playing classical tunes on his double bass viola for 20 years, it took one short tune to gives kids goose bumps and have them asking for an encore.
“I played the theme from Jaws and that’s always a popular one,” said Larsen, who speaks to kids across Lee County as part of an outreach program for the Southwest Florida Symphony. “We try to inform kids about music at this age because it might peak their interest as they go into middle school.”
But peaking their interest during the mini-concert at the school was especially easy for Alan Evans, a trumpet player in Larsen’s group.
“Music is a fun way to bring people together even if they can’t speak the same language,” Evans told students during his presentation on the trumpet and its influence in music.
He also wowed the audience with the “Sesame Street” tune and typical sound effects created by the trumpet for cartoons.
“I use my lips to create vibrations that is what you hear as music,” said Evans while holding a garden hose to illustrate what a trumpet would look like stretched out.
The fifth graders had an opportunity to ask questions about music, the instruments and how sound is created.
“Even if they aren’t picking up an instrument, even a deeper appreciation for music is worth it ... anything else would be wrong,” said Larsen who works with the schools through a coordinator. “Kids are susceptible to music at this age and we have to do what we can because it adds to them.”
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