Talk
About the “WOW” Factor
The audience is settled in, grooving to the sounds
reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac, and letting the music take them back to those
mid-late 70’s when rock was being defined. That’s when they hear the jungle
rumblings of a cool, quirky song called “Tusk.”
But wait—what’s happening? An odd
spot for a drum solo . . . Hold on!
There’s kids coming down the aisles – they have instruments! WOW!!!
That’s right Maskers! In a similar way to Fleetwood Mac’s live
concert album called The Dance, we enjoy including the local talent of
young people in our theatre performances.
Fleetwood Mac hosted the USC Marching Band. We have, so far, hosted members of
Lafayette’s Acalanes HS Jazz Band (three times and counting) and, most recently,
members of Alameda’s St. Joseph of Notre Dame HS band.
From my perspective, as the one who is in direct
contact with the kids, the experience could not be more enjoyable. I am a K-8 grade music teacher in Dublin and
I know how to work with kids. I met up
with the Acalanes players one evening before our show in Lafayette for the
first time. In one hour we: sight-read
through the music (my arrangement of “Tusk” based on the The Dance
version); memorized the music, practiced playing while walking; blocked out the
entrance and movement for the performance; added some choreography, and
discussed what to wear! ONE HOUR!! Let’s just say that’s a learning curve I’m
not used to! The experience with the St.
Joseph’s kids was equally fun and easy.
For this past show at the Historic Bal Theatre in San Leandro, we added
“Don’t Stop” to their plates and, of course, they gobbled it up and rocked it!
How do the kids feel about all this? I like to think that in the case of the
Acalanes kids, the fact that they’ve accepted every invitation since Town Hall,
tells me they enjoy the experience.
After the show in Berkeley, one player was overheard telling a first
timer, “See? I TOLD you it was
cool!” Vanessa from St. Joseph states,
“I really had a fun time performing with you guys. Being a singer, dancer, and actor, I’m not
used to being down (in front of the stage) with the audience. It was fun interacting with the crowd and
feeling the energy of the audience in a whole new way. I had a great time!”
Fleetwood Mask loves sharing the stage lights with
young people and we will continue to extend the invitations to our tried and
true players and hopefully, as the word gets out, to new players from different
schools.
Thanks for reading!
Barbara Martin/ Christine McVie in Fleetwood Mask