The Rainier Chamber Winds concerts provide children with a music education
that integrates music with other art forms, storytelling and mime. Children sit
close to the performers, learn about the wind instruments, and talk about the
stories and the music. They interact with hand gestures and physically respond
to what they hear. The folk tale narrative and musical score combine to help the
child imagine and "see" the story in a way that transcends and is richer than
only telling the story. Children are introduced to the idea that communication
occurs in many ways, not only through words.
The importance of exposure and participation in the arts to the development
of children is well documented. Children whose imaginations have been broadened
and who have been inspired by the arts have been shown to achieve higher
academic success later on. Yet public school budget cuts in arts education,
together with the lack of opportunity for children to experience live
performances, deny children basic familiarity of music literature and
instruments associated with music in the classical tradition. Additionally,
there are few works in the classical music repertoire composed especially for
young children.
More than
6,000 children have enjoyed free or minimum-priced concerts by the Rainier
Chamber Winds in the past few years. Performances feature original compositions
commissioned by Rainier Chamber Winds, telling stories with narration, much in
the manner of "Peter and the Wolf."