The Cleveland Orchestra’s Severance Hall home is less than 2 miles from Hough, but you’ll rarely hear a symphony performed here. That’s changing this summer as orchestra musicians blanket the area for their annual residency, which ends with a focal week featuring free shows by an ensemble Aug. 6 at New Day in Hough Community Festival and the orchestra Aug. 11 at East Professional Center. To bridge the musical gap, Dylan Moffitt, an orchestra community outreach teaching artist, has been teaching a summer world percussion class to kids at the Lexington-Bell Community Center, which ends with a concert at the Aug. 11 show. “The joy that you see in someone’s face that has never seen music before is the significant benefit,” he says. Moffitt shares three ways music is impacting Hough.
Opens Senses: Most people need exposure to certain music before they can appreciate it, but Moffitt saw some kids latch on immediately. “There was a girl who had never played drums before,” says Moffitt. “Five minutes in [and] you wouldn’t have even known.”
Artistry: As Moffit led kids in practicing snare and Afro-Brazilian drums, he saw confidence and creativity growing in them. “During the break, one of the kids was inspired to play something,” says Moffitt. “Within two minutes, everybody had run over and created this rhythm.”
Lasting ties: After the program ends, Moffitt hopes to keep teaching percussion in Hough. “If we have all of the kids thinking similarly, we can explore the potential of exposing them [to] more programs with the orchestra,” he says. “This is really only the beginning.”
