By Andrea Stevenson, Community School of the Arts

As Community School of the Arts reviews the feedback surveys of the many financial aid and outreach students attending concerts and exhibitions through the Knight Artistic Engagement Fund, we cannot resist sharing a selection of their comments in their own voices.   This is the sound of young musicians and artists experiencing symphony, opera and chamber music concerts and art exhibitions for the very first time, and CSA is honored to be part of their artistic journeys.

What did you learn from this concert/exhibition?

• “I learned that you can accomplish anything.”
• “How the orchestra works, what’s backstage, hearing the beauty of the music.”
• “It was a wonderful experience.  I learned what certain pieces sound like when they’re played the right way.”
• “How amazing instruments sound together, and I learned about Mozart, Barber and Copland.”
• “That art is offered to everyone.”
• “To practice harder.”
•  “That in Italy it takes super long to say two words.”
• “I learned that the pianist went to Julliard.”
•  “I learned that if you work hard you can accomplish anything.”
• “I experienced the ability music and musicians have to touch and affect human emotions.”
• “I learned to be patient and sit still and be respectful.”
•  “That people can rock in playing piano.”
• “That art is open to everyone, and everyone who wants to enjoy it can have access to it.”
• “We learned how a young boy (17-year-old soloist) can be so talented and passionate for an instrument.”
• “I need to practice more.”
• “I learned interesting facts about Rachmaninoff’s life from the talk back after the concert.”
• “The piano soloist was very inspiring to talk to afterward, and, as a musician myself, I learned a lot from her.”
• “To play with more passion and energy.”
• “If you don’t like the pieces you are playing, there won’t be any feeling in your music.”
•  “How good a musician can be when she starts at an early age, like the soloist.”
• “Music is good for the soul.”
• “The conductor ‘says’ a lot with his hands.”
• “If you work hard, you can have a chance to play really great music.”
• “I learned about the lives and music of Liszt and Rachmaninoff.”
• “I learned how to sit still and concentrate on beautiful music.”
• “They practice a LOT.”
• “Some things are more exciting in a different language.”
• “That hard work and dedication pay off.”

What word best describes how you felt during the concert/visit?

• “Amazed.”
• “WOW!”
• “Curious.”
• “Excited.”
• “Connected.”
• “Fantastic!”
• “Really happy and excited!”
• “Wonderful.”
• “Awesome.”
• “Proud.”
• “Rejuvenated.”
• “Overjoyed.”
• “Inspired.”
• “Unique, because I got to talk to a performer.”
• “Energized.”
• “Invigorated.”
• “Surprised.”

What did you enjoy most about this event?

• “Spending the time with my family and the beautiful music.”
• “How every single instrument blended with the next, and none was too loud or soft.”
•  “The opportunity to interact and make arts and crafts in the lower level of the museum.”
•  “The reception afterward, because we got to meet the conductor and artists.”
• “When I watched the concert, I saw that no one was trying to be the center of attention.”
•  “Hearing so many amazing piano pieces.”
• “I want to be better and practice more.”
• “The story line of the opera.”
• “Amazing to see Chad Hoopes (the soloist), who is only 17.”
• “Fun to listen to the maestro and meet the musicians.”
• “The sculptures on the first floor, made of glass.”
• “Getting dressed up, the music, and the opera.”
• “Listening to the pianist bring the music alive.”
• “I enjoyed how organized the evening was.”
•  “I enjoyed when Leonora was trying not to freak out about dying.”
•  “Loved the talk back with the conductor and pianist after the concert.”
•  “Everyone was really nice.  Someone even gave us cookies!”
• “Act Two.  It had more drama in it.”
•  “I loved the third piece, the piano sonata no. 2.”
• “The opportunity to enjoy music with my family.”
•  “The setting and how they expressed their feelings to each other.”