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Orff Ensemble takes tour
By Jeremy Styron News Editor
The Rabun County Elementary School Orff Ensemble proved last week that it isn't just a band of sounding brass and clanging cymbals.
This bunch of percussionists is going places.
Their most recent performance stop: Jan. 10 at the Capitol in Atlanta, where they clanged and plunked in the presence of Gov. Sonny Perdue, legislators and tourists.
"We were just really excited that we were gonna get to go somewhere and get to perform in front of all those important people," said RCES sixth-grader James Burch.
During one part of the performance, Burch thought he spotted Perdue.
"I think I was the only person that actually saw him," Burch said. "During one of the songs he was in one of the wings, and I had a view of that wing.
"He was walking, looked up, listened to part of the song and went on to another part of the wing."
Sixth-grader Kenzie York admitted that the group was a bit on edge about performing in the grand venue.
"Yes, we were nervous," she said, adding that she felt privileged for the chance to play at the Capitol.
"Well, I felt like we were really special getting to have that opportunity," she said.
After playing for the Georgia Music Educators Association meeting in early 2006, the Orff Ensemble was invited to play in Atlanta and at two other area schools during the two-day trip.
"By performing in the rotunda (of the Capitol), the sound, the acoustics made their way up to all the areas of the Capitol," said RCES music teacher Cathee Funkhouser.
Also during the trip, the band toured Turner Field and the Georgia Aquarium.
Burch said he was awed by how large Turner Field was in person. "It was like, 'This is how big it is?' ... It's a whole lot bigger than it looks."
At the aquarium, Burch said he most enjoyed the whale shark and beluga whales. "I liked the way they swam and the way they played with each other."
Along the way, Mark McDonough, a Georgia state trooper from Rabun County, escorted the group around town, Funkhouser said.
"It was nice to have someone from Rabun County down there to show us through and make us feel at home," Funkhouser said.
Though numerous schools across the state teach Orff techniques, the RCES Orff Ensemble is unique because it's one of the few traveling bands in the state.
"It's good PR for our school system," she said. "Good things are happening in Rabun County for our schools."
Orff ensembles are named for Carl Orff, a 20th-century German composer. Orff was best known for creating an approach to music education based on singing, playing and improvisation. Eventually, elementary schools across the country began adopting the Orff technique.
Funkhouser has been teaching Orff at RCES for seven years and has conducted an after-school performance band for four years. During the school year, the sixth-grade ensemble takes its music to various counties, while the fifth-grade group holds concerts inside Rabun.
"Orff gives excellent ear training," Funkhouser said. "It's a creative process that taps into their creativity.
"Also, stage presence, etiquette, rhythm and melody - it really fine tunes" those skills, she added. "It'll help them in future music groups with that."
York said the band gave students the chance to develop skills that are typically only introduced in higher grade levels. "It lets you have an opportunity to play an instrument and sort of helps you understand the notes better."
This bunch of percussionists is going places.
Their most recent performance stop: Jan. 10 at the Capitol in Atlanta, where they clanged and plunked in the presence of Gov. Sonny Perdue, legislators and tourists.
"We were just really excited that we were gonna get to go somewhere and get to perform in front of all those important people," said RCES sixth-grader James Burch.
During one part of the performance, Burch thought he spotted Perdue.
"I think I was the only person that actually saw him," Burch said. "During one of the songs he was in one of the wings, and I had a view of that wing.
"He was walking, looked up, listened to part of the song and went on to another part of the wing."
Sixth-grader Kenzie York admitted that the group was a bit on edge about performing in the grand venue.
"Yes, we were nervous," she said, adding that she felt privileged for the chance to play at the Capitol.
"Well, I felt like we were really special getting to have that opportunity," she said.
After playing for the Georgia Music Educators Association meeting in early 2006, the Orff Ensemble was invited to play in Atlanta and at two other area schools during the two-day trip.
"By performing in the rotunda (of the Capitol), the sound, the acoustics made their way up to all the areas of the Capitol," said RCES music teacher Cathee Funkhouser.
Also during the trip, the band toured Turner Field and the Georgia Aquarium.
Burch said he was awed by how large Turner Field was in person. "It was like, 'This is how big it is?' ... It's a whole lot bigger than it looks."
At the aquarium, Burch said he most enjoyed the whale shark and beluga whales. "I liked the way they swam and the way they played with each other."
Along the way, Mark McDonough, a Georgia state trooper from Rabun County, escorted the group around town, Funkhouser said.
"It was nice to have someone from Rabun County down there to show us through and make us feel at home," Funkhouser said.
Though numerous schools across the state teach Orff techniques, the RCES Orff Ensemble is unique because it's one of the few traveling bands in the state.
"It's good PR for our school system," she said. "Good things are happening in Rabun County for our schools."
Orff ensembles are named for Carl Orff, a 20th-century German composer. Orff was best known for creating an approach to music education based on singing, playing and improvisation. Eventually, elementary schools across the country began adopting the Orff technique.
Funkhouser has been teaching Orff at RCES for seven years and has conducted an after-school performance band for four years. During the school year, the sixth-grade ensemble takes its music to various counties, while the fifth-grade group holds concerts inside Rabun.
"Orff gives excellent ear training," Funkhouser said. "It's a creative process that taps into their creativity.
"Also, stage presence, etiquette, rhythm and melody - it really fine tunes" those skills, she added. "It'll help them in future music groups with that."
York said the band gave students the chance to develop skills that are typically only introduced in higher grade levels. "It lets you have an opportunity to play an instrument and sort of helps you understand the notes better."
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