Artist Teaches Value of 'Music' in Daily Activities

By Minda Maurer
Winona Daily News

Goodview Elementary School vibrated with sound Thursday.

Maracas, drums, harmonicas, sand paper, tambourines, violins, and pie pans echoed throughout the school gym.

It sounded like a giant warm up for a unique symphony of traditional musical instruments to ones made from household items such as a pie-pan drum.

Soli Hughes, the school's artist in residence this week and part of next week, asked groups of Diane Downies' fourth-grade class to compose their own "impromptu" piece.

Then each group recorded their piece, having the opportunity to make a "song". Hughes was trying to teach about working together and emphasize that all sounds are important.

"I want to give the kids a chance to realize that sound has a part in everyday life," he said.

Hughes, a Minneapolis–based performance artist who has his own jazz group, focused on the theme, "everyday music in our lives".

Every day, children discover sights and sounds, new and old, such as the tick–tock of a clock, the pitch of a scream or yell, the ring of a bell, the sound of a siren or music in commercials, according to Hughes.

This week the students were involved in numerous activities; they studied how sounds are a part of everyday life, and how sounds affect movies, cartoons and videos. The children learned how computers are involved with music.

Hughes also said he wanted students to realize what life would be like without sound.

He noted that everybody in the world has different ways of doing things and just because something is different it's not more or less special. He wants children to respect the differences they come in contact with and to interact with each other.

Hughes is visiting Goodview through COMPAS, a St. Paul organization that features artists in residence in school systems.

Next week Hughes will incorporate the children in a performance for the Goodview Parent Teacher Association Monday at 6 p.m. and will finish his visit at the school on Tuesday.

Hughes' training spans a range of styles and techniques. Some of the subjects he's studied include piano, voice and classical guitar and interpretive Spanish/classical guitar.

He's performed in various countries and most recently wrote and developed two fully accredited guitar courses for Northwestern University, Chicago, which are part of the school's regular curriculum.