The sounds of classical music captivated students at Wilson and Rodriguez Elementary School on Jan. 31.
Ann Fontanella, a solo violinist, and pianist Jo Jiang treated Wilson and Rodriguez students to a special performance on both campuses. Fontanella and Jiang entertained the audience with a showcase of diverse classics.
Throughout the performances, Fontanella provided a description of the composer and time period of the song she was set to play. Students watched carefully until Fontenalla welcomed any questions the students had. Students anxiously held their hands up for their questions to be selected. Questions ranged from the amount of hours she practice a day to the materials her instrument was made out of.
The Harlingen Concert Association (HCA), who sponsors musical events around the community, brought down the soloist as a way to showcase quality entertainment to young minds. The Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District Music Department worked with HCA to arrange the concerts for the campuses.
With the showcase, their charge is to promote musical interest and encourage students to join music programs. For the students at Rodriguez and Wilson, the performance was a perfect way to emphasize music in its many forms.
This is the second HCA sponsored performance with HCISD. The Abram Brothers, a bluegrass trio from Canada, performed for Gutierrez Middle School and Dishman Elementary School students on Jan. 11.
Following the performance at Wilson, Ann Fontanella and Jo Chiang also performed for students at Rodriguez Elementary. Students were mesmerized, in awe of what these professional musicians were able to do. Both audiences and performances were equally stunning.
Thank you, Harlingen Concert Association, for gifting these fabulous enrichment, highly educational performances, to our students.
Dr. Sabrina Quintana,
Director of Music Education