The Opening Play-In has been a long-standing, very special event at the string school. The day begins with a group performance by the students, led by their teachers and our accompanist. It is amazing to hear how wonderful the students sound together, even after the summer break! After this half-hour of playing together, the students are treated to a short concert or demonstration by some of our finest local professional musicians. In the past 12 years, some of the featured performers have been early music and baroque  specialists, some of them in period costume, a professional cellist, the symphony viola section playing the beautiful Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 6, a violin and oboe duo and a trumpet player. We have even had a demonstration on how a pipe organ works and a bagpiper performing for the students as well. They just loved marching out with her!

This year, our students got a taste of something a little different. Larry Larson on trumpet and his buddy Ian Whitman on bass, gave the kids and parents a taste of jazz. It was so interesting to hear how each of them got their start in music and about the events in their lives that have led them to be able to play both jazz and classical styles of music. Larry and Ian played a lovely tune, "Summertime" by Gershwin, and they played it "straight" so that the kids could hear the tune as it was on the written page - then jazzing it up and improvising. Lots of heads were bobbing and toes were tapping today! Other favourites that were played today by this dynamic duo were "I Got Rhythm", "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", the theme to the Flintstones cartoon show, and an amazing rendition of the Miles Davis tune, "So What".  Thank you Larry and Ian!

The morning concludes with something the students, parents, teachers and guests always look forward to....Cookie Time! It gives the families in the school a chance to socialize and get re-acquainted after the long break. We hope everyone enjoyed today's special event and we look forward to seeing you all soon at our first group class!