COSTA MESA : Children Receive Taste of Classics, Strings Attached

Some children fidgeted in their seats and others on the hard floor. Some sat stock still, paying rapt attention to their first look at a live performance by a string quintet. Still others played “air violin.”

Friday morning’s concert at Victoria Elementary School was a change of pace for the kindergarten through fifth-graders who said they hear mostly country, rock ‘n’ roll or gospel music at home.

“The music, it’s just pretty,” said Sarah Stevenson, 7, who said her mother listens to country music at home.

The concert was a “Class Act,” part of a music appreciation program offered by the Pacific Symphony Orchestra.

Each of seven schools to have the program in its first year is “adopted” by one of the symphony’s musicians, who gives children a taste of music and its history for one hour a month.

The program culminates with a field trip May 9 to a full symphony concert.

Cellist Andy Honea, who adopted Victoria school in Costa Mesa, made a point of giving children a sense of time and place with each piece he and his colleagues--violinists Kimiyo Takeya and Daniela Sindoni, violist Dmitri Bovaird and bassist Chris Kollgaard--played.

“Remember, there was no television, no radio and no recording back then,” he told a roomful of third- through fifth-graders, who responded with a group gasp. “Back then, people had musicians like us play music like this for entertainment.”

Before the morning was out, the children heard samples from Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, the focal point for this year’s program.

“It was pretty nice. I liked how they repeated the beat,” said Jessica Martinez, 9. “He (the composer) sort of put some of his feelings into the music, like if he was sad or mad or something.”

Adrian Kendrick, 7, said he hears jazz at home but enjoyed the presentation.

“The music was good. They had different musical notes,” he said. “It made me think that someday I can do music.”