Monday, December 15, 2003

Oakland jazz artist, students jam

San Lorenzo school musicians excited to share stage with Anton Schwartz

By Chris De Benedetti, STAFF WRITER

SAN LORENZO -- Teachers often talk about that moment -- that fleeting but satisfying rush -- when they see the fruits of their labor pay off with students.

For Audie Tatum, a music teacher at Edendale Middle School in San Lorenzo, one of those moments came Tuesday when a handful of his pupils flashed beaming smiles after jamming at a school assembly with Oakland jazz artist Anton Schwartz.

"That was kind of a reward," the soft-spoken Tatum said Thursday. "I think the fact that Anton, a great musician, is a young guy also made it appealing to the kids."

Those kids who had the honor of playing with Schwartz were Brandon Fisher, Bryant Price, Sung-Ly Im, Ethan Carter, Mark Ruiz and Terrell White. All are members of Tatum's 18-piece jazz band of middle school students that meets every Wednesday after school.

Did the students find the experience inspiring?

"Heck yeah!" Carter said, adding that he has studied playing trumpet for a year under Tatum's tutelage. "We had giant smiles. We were so proud of ourselves."

Ruiz, a student alto saxophonist, added: "It was exhilarating to play with a real jazz musician."

Schwartz appeared at the invitation of Edendale teacher Bonnie Dershowitz, who also leads after-school student sessions on jazz history and appreciation titled Jazz: America's Music.

"I think it really helps the children that a professional acknowledged their talents," Edendale School Principal Janet Clayton said about Schwartz's visit. "It could be the make-or-break encouragement a child needs to pursue music."

Tatum, who teaches strings, band and percussion courses at Edendale, said music course work has several benefits for children, citing a 1994 study by the College Entrance Examination Board that showed music students scored higher on both the verbal and math portions of their SAT.

"Working in a band as an ensemble socializes kids. It teaches them teamwork," Tatum said.

It's a dynamic that differs from most other schoolwork, such as math or English, where a student's performance usually reflects only on the individual.

"But (for music students) it is different in that, if one person doesn't do their job, then the whole team suffers," Tatum said. "If a band member goofs off or doesn't do his or her job, it throws everyone off."

For the past two years, Tatum has done more than his share of raising money to aid his students' efforts. He has garnered donations from local businesses and individuals and, in a type of grassroots advertising, has posted photos of them and their establishments on a school hallway billboard.

Clayton praised Tatum for "pounding the pavement" to get sponsors for the band.

"He definitely has the interests of the kids at heart," Clayton said. "He's willing to do anything to make kids share the same passion he has for music."

The longtime instructor said the extra funds have helped keep the after-school band's inventory of working instruments fairly well-stocked.

"It's a joy to have the instrumentation that I want," Tatum said.

But they still could use more working instruments -- namely, a tenor saxophone and a baritone saxophone, he added.

However, his students seemed to lack little as they took the stage with Schwartz on Tuesday's miserably cold and rainy afternoon. There, they brought some joy to the students packed into Edendale's multipurpose room, where teachers and classmates alike happily clapped and swayed to the beat.

"It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for me," Ruiz said of the performance. "I actually got it."

"The enthusiasm is there," Tatum added. "It's the kids that are going to benefit from this."

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