Local students learn art of jazz

Anyone visiting the Community Council for the Arts this week may have caught faint hints of drums, brass horns and woodwinds coming from an upstairs room. The sound belongs to more than 20 Lenoir County middle and high slchool students attending a week long band camp, where they are taught a variety of pieces from across the genre’s history.

Led by retired band director Charles Richberg, who also plays bass on the songs in this week’s camp, rehearsal moves at a crisp pace with Richberg only stopping long enough to provide instructions for what he’d like to hear before immediately diving back into the music.

Also directing the camp from behind a piano is former Northeast Elementary School teacher Leonard Palmer.

“We feel that all the camps are important for our young people to grow and learn,” Richberg said. “These camps are an extension of what teachers in the classrooms and band rooms are doing.”

This week’s camp is the second band camp run at the Community Council for the Arts. Earlier in the summer, 14 students attended a concert band camp to learn classical and symphonic music.

Richberg said he hopes the summer band camps can be used to drive more students into the Traditional Arts Performance for Students (TAPS) program, which runs through the school year at the Community Council for the Arts.

“We want to show students what we are doing with the TAPS program in the fall and winter and also provide an outlet for young people with something to do in the summer time musically,” he said.

According to the students, the camp is an opportunity to perform alongside musicians they otherwise wouldn’t and a chance to go outside their comfort zones and something brand new.

“It’s the best way to interact with new people from different schools all over the county together,” said Hailey Waller, one of three drummers at the camp.

“This is the first time I’ve ever played jazz ever,” said saxophonist Christopher Wimbush, 13. “I’m really enjoying. It feels great!”

For Devin Likar, 12, this week’s camp provided an interesting challenge.

“It’s fun,” he said. “The ability for us to get into a medium sized group and play music we all can understand and we can all be able to play after a week. Most songs take over a month for us to learn in concert band.”

This summer is the second year the Community Council for the Arts has held the jazz camp, the first for the symphonic band camp, and the growth from last year to now has been noticeable.

“We’ve have 100 percent more in attendance this year than we had last year,” said Landy Landis, executive director of the Community Council for the Arts.

Landis said the camps will be held again next summer.

The camp wraps up Friday with an 11:30 a.m. concert where the students will play each song they learn this week for friends, family and guests at the Community Council for the Arts, 400 N. Queen St.

Dustin George can be reached at 252-559-1077 and Dustin.George@kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @DLGeorge2.