Huntington Pair Organizes HYPE Night at Library
Matthew Beeby and Collin Richardson are imaginative teenage musicians. The two Huntington High School students were volunteering with the Teen Advisory Board at the Huntington Public Library when a brainstorming session about possible future activities led to a bright idea.
"Collin and I are very involved with music, so we thought it would be a great idea to give kids the opportunity to play their NYSSMA (New York State School Music Assn.) solos in public, before going in front of a NYSSMA judge," Mr. Beeby said. "I've found that no matter how long you've been playing an instrument and how confident you feel, it's always hard to stand up and perform your best in front of other people."
The plan was simple, Mr. Beeby said: "To give student musicians the chance to play their solos in front of a supportive audience as a way to make them feel more comfortable in front of a judge. So we started planning the first ever Huntington Young Performers Enrichment (HYPE) Solo Preview Night."
Huntington Public Library officials liked the idea and provided Messrs. Beeby and Richardson with assistance securing the facility's stage for the event, advertising in the library newsletter and getting certificates and ribbons for the participants.
"Having performed in NYSSMA for the first time last year as a freshman, I was a little nervous," recounted Mr. Richardson. "It can be, as many youngsters know, a very stressful situation to play in front of a judge who is listening specifically for your mistakes. A lot of work goes into preparing for NYSSMA and you only get to play it for one judge! This way they would be able to play it in front of an entire audience."
"Collin and I made sure all the music students and music teachers in our district knew about the event," Mr. Beeby said. Organizers were pleased when more than a dozen students showed up ready to perform.
"We arrived early at the library," Mr. Richardson said, recalling the big day. "Chairs and refreshments were already set-up and the room and stage looked great. People started to arrive and it was rewarding to see all of the kids coming in with their instrument cases and full of excitement. There was a huge variety of instruments and pieces performed and as each student stepped up on stage, they received a really big round of applause."
"We helped them tune their instruments, announced their name and the name of the piece they were playing and made sure they were set up properly on stage," Mr. Beeby said. "There was a good representation of all different instruments and they played pieces in all different musical styles. Each performer sounded great and got lots of applause."
"When each musician finished you could see how proud they were as they came off the stage to an even bigger round of applause," Mr. Richardson said. "It was a very enjoyable concert for the audience and the excitement was awesome. All of the kids and everyone that attended was so supportive of each performance. I think the event accomplished for each musician exactly what we wanted in that they all got a boost to their confidence and experienced the fun of getting to perform and feel that their hard work and practice had a payoff."
In the months and weeks preceding the event, Messrs. Beeby and Richardson participated in plenty of meetings and exchanged numerous e-mails with library officials, especially Beth Barning, who is the librarian in Youth and Parent Services. They spoke to classes in an attempt to drum up interest in the evening.
"The event got a boost from Mr. [Frank] Battista, (J. Taylor Finley Middle School music teacher) who did a great job of getting the word out amongst his students," Mr. Richardson said. "He was there for the event and offered great support, not only to his current students, but to his past students."
Being the musicians themselves, Messrs. Beeby and Richardson couldn't resist an opportunity to get on stage with their respective trombones themselves and perform near the end of the program.
"We had a little extra time at the end so I gave an impromptu demonstration about software called Smart Music with my computer and portable PA and then using this for an accompaniment, Matthew performed the Level 6 piece for NYSSMA All-State that he is preparing and I did a jazz piece," Mr. Richardson said.
When the music finally stopped, the performers received their awards and took a bow as the audience cheered. "I was really proud of them all," Mr. Richardson said.
"We had a big enthusiastic audience and My Long Island TV was there to interview us and the participants," Mr. Beeby said. "It was a very successful event and we hope that it will become the first of many HYPE Solo Preview Nights to come."
"I had a lot of fun organizing H.Y.P.E. Solo Preiew Night and hope to make it an annual event," Mr. Richardson said. "I have some other ideas, too, like something that could involve Huntington's senior citizen musicians coming out to perform with students."