There’s an interesting AP story today about high school students in Wishek, North Dakota who are learning to play the accordion and — gasp! — actually enjoying it. Located just down the road from Lawrence Welk’s hometown (Strasburg), Wishek is a town steeped in German traditions, where many older residents still speak German. For 15-year-old Christy Schaffer, playing the accordion is a great way connect with her heritage, and assert her individuality:
“When I was younger, I thought it was something different to do… My grandpa did it. And I thought it would be interesting to play something different, that no other kid was playing.”
Janet Wolff, the music teacher at Wishek High, has done a fantastic job of getting kids excited about playing the accordion. That’s exactly what the accordion needs: more representation in schools.
Does anyone know of other accordion programs like this at the elementary or high school level? If so, leave a comment here and let us know. We want to get the word out!
Posted October 23rd, 2006 in German, Kids, Lessons · 3 Comments
What were you doing when you were two years old? Making mud pies? Eating crayons? Tormenting your parents? Guyton Leday of Opelousas, LA, was like a lot of kids his age, with one exception: he was learning to play accordion, zydeco-style.
Six years later (at the ripe old age of eight), Guyton is featured on an HBO documentary premiering tonight called The Music in Me: Children’s Recitals from Classical to Latin, Jazz to Zydeco. The show focuses on six inspiring musical prodigies, each from a different musical and cultural tradition.
As the great, great grandson of the late Delton Broussard, Guyland clearly has the zydeco spirit in his blood. By the time he was four, he was already onstage playing with Zydeco Force, which features his great uncle Jeffrey Broussard on accordion. Last night, Guyland played Carnegie Hall in New York with an all-star zydeco band of friends and family (including Terrance Simien) to promote the documentary.
The show premieres tonight on HBO at 7pm, but will air a number of times there (and on HBO Family) this month. So set your Tivo now!
Posted October 7th, 2006 in Cajun/Zydeco, Kids, Profiles, Television · 18 Comments
“Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?” Flaco Jimenez! No, the Tejano accordion legend hasn’t moved next door to Patrick and Squidward, but he does make a guest appearance on Spongebob’s latest album, SpongeBob Squarepants: The Best Day Ever. Put together by Tom Kenny (the voice of Spongebob), the album includes a track called “Barnacles!” that features Flaco jamming with cult rockers NRBQ.
And Bikini Bottom isn’t the only place you’ll find Flaco these days. He’s just released a new full-length album called Fiesta Del Rio. I’ve had a hard time finding any information on it — it isn’t on Amazon or iTunes yet and I’ve yet to see any reviews — but you can order it at tejanoclassics.com or directly from Flaco’s site. Judging from the track below, it sounds like it’s well worth hunting down.
Flaco Jimenez: El Pata Caliente (MP3 download)
Posted September 26th, 2006 in Conjunto/Tejano, Kids, MP3s · 4 Comments
Earlier this week, the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat ran a fun profile of Gino Bagala, an 11-year-old accordionist from Santa Rosa. Gino is passionate about his playing: he practices twice a day, performs in public weekly, and is a member of the Accordion Club of the Redwoods. In his spare time, you can find him surfing eBay for deals on accordion sheet music, listening to Frank Sinatra records, or serenading his dog with the theme song to The Godfather. All of this as he pursues his dream:
“When I grow up, I’d like to be a professional accordion player, own an Italian restaurant and on the side, be a professional wrestler.”
Now that’s a dream. Go for it, Gino!
Posted August 19th, 2006 in Kids, Profiles · Comments off
I scanned in this photo from a recent issue of the University of Nevada-Reno magazine, Silver and Blue. (Thanks Ellen!) The photo was a contribution to UNR’s Oral History Program and is part of a project to tell the story of the influence of Italian Americans on northern Nevada’s history:
“If you were an Italian American growing up in the early to mid-20th century, chances are that you or a sibling or one of your friends was forced to play the accordion. So it was for 9-year-old Al Lazzarone, seen here (third row, third from left) playing with a band in Sacramento in 1932.”
Looking at this young accordion army, I’d like to think that they were the Those Darn Accordions or Main Squeeze Accordion Orchestra of their day. What was their repertoire like? Did any of them go on to accordion stardom? How many of them kept playing later in life? So many questions…
Posted June 17th, 2006 in Flickr, Italian, Kids, Photos · Comments off
Are your kids tired of the same old clown-and-pony show? Then check out San Francisco accordion player Enzo Garcia, who’s available for birthday parties and bills himself as “cheaper than a clown, cleaner than a pony.” He also holds a weekly “Breakfast with Enzo” (bring your own breakfast) every Saturday morning at the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center in San Francisco, where he plays classic and original songs for children and their families.
In addition to performing professionally, Enzo’s been teaching music and movement to toddlers for the last few years. One of my coworkers takes his kids to see Enzo regularly (and even hired him for a birthday party) and raves that “he totally rocks!” So check out some samples and then let your neighbor know you won’t need his magic act this year:
Breakfast with Enzo (MP3 sample)
Old MacDonald Had a Farm (MP3 sample)
Posted June 12th, 2006 in Kids, MP3s, Profiles · 1 Comment
