Getting kids into the swing

Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2006 | 8:41 a.m.

Following a discussion on philistine dance in ancient Middle East, Richard McGee, associate conductor of the Las Vegas Philharmonic, asked something unusual of his young audience last week.

During a segment from the opera "Sampson and Delilah," he turned and invited them to dance.

And they did. On cue. Shaking their bodies and flailing their arms in the aisles.

It was a strategic move to intrigue an otherwise restless audience during a 45-minute concert.

And then came the pitch.

"It's no accident you guys are here," McGee said with a nearly full Philharmonic seated behind him. "In sixth grade, you'll be able to decide whether you want to sing in choir, play in band or the orchestra."

"Most of the players in the orchestra started when they were about your age. This is the time to start thinking about it. If you practice, you can really grow in a short period of time."

Call it clever marketing or a plea for the future of classical music, McGee, the educational coordinator for the Las Vegas Philharmonic, was only giving his sincere annual effort to inspire and educate Las Vegas youth, most of whom had never been to a symphonic performance.

The Philharmonic Youth Concerts have been offering performances free to students since the orchestra's inception seven years ago. They are led by McGee, who along with his wife, Joan, just received the 2006 Governor's Arts Award for their dedication to arts in education.

"We did children's concerts before we even had our first season for the public," said Hal Weller, music director and conductor for the Las Vegas Philharmonic. "My resolution was to grow the audience from the ground up."

So popular is the program that Candy Schneider, assistant director of the School-Community Partnership Program for the Clark County School District, said that within one minute of sending an e-mail to schools each year, her fax machine starts spitting out responses.

"It's first come, first served," Schneider said. "We turned away at least 24 schools this year."

The eight concerts are held over a four-day period each January. The cost comes to roughly $75,000, which is funded through various grants and corporate sponsorships. The School-Community Partnership oversees the programs and each school is responsible for the cost of busing.

Schneider would like to see the Youth Concerts presented throughout the school year and reach more than 14,000 of the 46,000-plus fourth- and fifth-grade students in the district.

"For most of the students, they've never been to anything like this," Schneider said. "Sandy Valley, that's an hour ride for them. They dressed up. They're in ties and dresses.

"We always let them know 'You're going somewhere special,' just so they know and feel special."

The program has an educational base. McGee explains that music is a bridge between varying cultures, political and religious backgrounds. Before conducting a concerto, he explains what one is.

Students clapped in rhythm during Brahm's "Hungarian Dance No. 5," offered punctuated and rhythmic shouts during a Russian dance by Tchaikovsky and bounced in their seats to Duke Ellington's "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing."

They waved mock light sabers during the "Theme From Star Wars" and applauded generously as McGee disassembled the orchestra to introduce the various musical families such as strings and percussion.

"It ties directly to curriculum," Schneider said. "They learn about areas of the world where music comes from and the history. And also, how do you behave as an audience?"

Lurched forward, mouths open, eyes wide, the students were surprisingly attentive. Despite the restroom breaks, impulsive kicking of feet, playing with hair and chatter, there was, possibly absorption.

"How about that?" Weller said with a smile.

Kristen Peterson can be reached at 259-2317 or at kristen@lasvegassun.com.