Appleton students find rhythm with 'In Harmony'

• In Harmony brought music to students and adults of all abilities.
• Musicians visited Madison Middle School, West High School and the CP Center in Kimberly.
• The program was funded through grants.

APPLETON - A quartet of musicians from the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra took the stage of Madison Middle School's auditorium on Tuesday, but didn't face the audience.

Instead, they focused on students who were in a semi-circle at the back of the stage.

The pilot program brought music to people who don't regularly have access to it. It was spearheaded by the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra and included the Appleton Area School District, Expressive Therapies, Lawrence University and the CP Center in Kimberly.

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A quartet from the symphony played music for students at Madison Middle School, Appleton West High School and adults at the CP Center. The musicians visited each site, and conducted one-hour sessions for five weeks.

They were led by Rachel Lofton, a music therapist at Expressive Therapies in Appleton, and were assisted by music education students from Lawrence University.

The program is modeled on an initiative launched in Madison, and is part of the symphony's community outreach, said Oliver Zornow, community engagement manager for the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra.

"It's the symphony's 50th anniversary ... this year and we recognize that to continue to share our music forever we need to share it with everyone," he said. "We need to really be the Fox Valley Symphony – not just a symphony that plays in the Fox Valley."

The cost of running the 10-week program is $13,200. Expenses were covered through grants, including a $2,000 award from the Appleton Education Foundation.

The money was used to pay the musicians and professionals who participated and also to develop the program.

The organizers hope to expand the program to more sites and offer more sessions next year, but those plans are contingent on funding, Zornow said. Anyone who wants to find out more about In Harmony or who donate to the program can contact Zornow at oliver@foxvalleysymphony.com.

Lofton said it's been fun to see the students progress.

She planned different activities for each session, mixing the instruments students could use, the rhythms and other props, she said. On Tuesday, for example, they used drums, sticks and scarves.

Variety helps students find a way to connect to the music, Lofton said.

"My favorite part I think was … how different kids respond differently to a variety of interventions, whether it's the music, whether it's the movement that we did. The movement interventions were probably the most successful in terms of what we did," she said.

The students enjoyed it, too.

Seventh-grader Gavin Meulemans and his brother, Clay, an eighth-grader, enjoyed the drums. Eighth-grader Ross Palmer said his favorite part of the session was when Lofton gave the students colorful scarves and told them to wave the scarves along with the music.

Besides the middle and high school students, In Harmony has also helped Lawrence University students.

Jim Heiks, adjunct professor of music education, teaches the "Educating All Learners in Music" course. The course is a requirement for all music education students and helps them in teaching students of all abilities. When the symphony asked for Lawrence students to help with In Harmony, Heiks thought of his class immediately.

The college students were paired with middle and high school students for the duration of the program, which allowed them to build relationships, Heiks said.

"They've gotten to know each other to the point where they're looking forward to seeing each other every week," he said.

In its first run, In Harmony did what organizers hoped – it helped students connect with music, said Renee Ulman, fine arts coordinator for the Appleton school district.

"Music just kind of does something to them and breaks down their walls," she said. "I've heard teachers in the background saying, 'I can't believe so-and-so volunteered for that' and 'I can't believe so-and-so is doing that.' You're seeing the kids interact in ways they haven't interacted in a long time."

As the session came to an end, students mingled for a few minutes with their buddies from Lawrence University.

When asked what he thought of In Harmony, Gavin Meulemans said, "I just loved it."

Jen Zettel: 920-996-7268, or jzettel@postcrescent.com; on Twitter @jenzettel