News-Letter

Junior Emily Caporello sings with the Octopodes, a campus a capella group, senior Tanya Weeks plays piano and is the daughter of a choir director, and junior Nikhail Peletar "grew up singing." Put this trio in charge of a student group, and you can bet it will be a harmonious one.

Playground Sound, a campus organization established two years ago by since-graduated musically inclined students, allows Caporello, Weeks, Peletar and other Hopkins students to use their musical abilities to give back to the Baltimore community. The group visits one local elementary school and leads a choir of third through fifth grade students in vocal training.

While Playground Sound originally formed its partnership with Abottson Elementary school, a Baltimore school within a 15-minute drive from campus, the group now collaborates with Margaret Brent Elementary school, located within walking distance. The partnership with Brent began spring semester of last year.

Members of Playground Sound lead hour-long after school sessions on Friday afternoons with students whose parents enroll them in the program. A typical choir practice includes warm up exercises and review of songs on which the students are working. Weeks also notes that the group tried to incorporate some music theory into the practices. "We break up into little groups and give them some music theory in addition to just a choir practice," she said.

Approximately 10 Brent students participate in Playground Sound's practices each week. The small size of the group allows the Hopkins instructors to work closely with students and keep satisfactory control over them.

While behavior has not been an issue, a lack of regular attendance can make it difficult to jell as a choir. "A lot of kids rotate in and out," Weeks said. "Attendance is always a problem."

Weeks enjoys the freedom she and her group members have in leading the activities and forming a curriculum for their students. "We really had free range in what we wanted to do," she said. "That's one of my favorite parts. For our own choir we can choose songs we think the kids will like."

Though they have no real role in running the Playground Sound program, Peletar feels that the public school teachers with whom he and his organization interact are always especially happy to have college students come and visit their students. During the Playground Sound practices, school personnel is absent, leaving the Hopkins group in charge.

"I think that they really like when Hopkins students go there," Peletar said, referring also to other Hopkins student groups that do elementary outreach programs in things like orchestra, dance and visual art. "The teachers really understand how much it impacts these children's lives to have backgrounds in all of these art disciplines," he said.

Last spring Playground Sound's choir collaborated with another Hopkins outreach group that teaches students ballet. Some additional coordination and snacks for the event were provided by the Center for Social Concern.

The collaborative concert was one chance for students to show off to their parents, something that Weeks feels is essential. "It's important to have something to work towards. The kids want to put on a performance. They want to show their parents and their parents want to see what they've been practicing," she said. A school-wide talent showcase, also held last spring, provided another opportunity for the Brent children to perform.

Students interested in getting involved with Playground Sound should contact Caporello at ecapore1@jhem.jhu.edu, Weeks at tanya@jhu.edu, or Peletar at nsp@jhu.edu. This year's choir practices will be beginning within the next few weeks.

Those who wish to participate can expect a rewarding experience. "I really understand the impact music has had on my life," Peletar said. "It's nice to pass knowledge on to someone who hasn't had that opportunity."

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