Newport Elementary goes classical

Danette Goulet

NEWPORT BEACH -- Students are learning to appreciate the finer things in

life at Newport Elementary School through the Pacific Symphony

Orchestra’s Class Act program.

Parents and students will attend a special performance by a woodwind

quintet Thursday night as one in a string of events intended to expose

children to classical music.

“They are learning about the instruments and about the music. They are

learning words,” said Annette Kerr, the parent liaison for the program.

“You know all the kids want to play the guitar or the drums. This teaches

children to appreciate classical music.”

The Frieda Belifante Class Act program, sponsored by Howard F. Ahmanson,

began in 1994 and now benefits 30 schools in Orange County. Three schools

in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District slipped into the program

during one of its expansions.

There are five main events featured in the program each year, said

Dominic Mumolo, manager of the Class Act program.

There is an initial assembly; a music appreciation lesson; a family night

-- Newport Elementary’s is the quintet performance Thursday; a trip to

the Performing Arts Center to see the orchestra perform; and a final

assembly.

Carole McEdwards, who plays the bassoon in the orchestra, has been the

driving force of the program at Newport Elementary. She teaches students

about classical music, the woodwind family of instruments, rhythm and

Bernstein through her music.

“We have 11 musicians from the Pacific Symphony Orchestra who take a

certain number schools each,” he said. “What the musician does is go to

schools and provide five elements.”

During the course of the program, each school concentrates on a family of

instruments, a composer -- this year, it’s Leonard Bernstein -- and an

element of music, such as rhythm.

Although the program is free to participating schools, it costs the

orchestra $10,000 per school, Mumolo said. The expense limits the number

of campuses that can be served by the program.

“We’re one of the fortunate schools,” Kerr said.