When the Grand Teton Music Festival began its family concert outside the Center for the Arts lawn in downtown Jackson, the effect, among the kids in attendance, was almost immediate.
The Grand Teton Music Festival Family concert turned into a dance party.
Over 1,000 people came to the event held on July 3rd. Among them were Mireya Hernandez and her two daughters, Kate and Victoria. Kate, the youngest, grinned as she showed off her dance moves.
“It’s music – music is fun!” she exclaimed.
While Kate danced, Mireya Hernandez took in the music and enjoyed a picnic.
“They sound amazing all together, it’s just like, wow… it’s just incredible,” she said.
This is not the only Grand Teton Music Festival program the Hernandez family has participated in this summer. Victoria attends the Coombs Ukelele Club, one of several new efforts by the Grand Teton Music Festival to expand their community offerings. This summer, the festival is presenting more free concerts than ever across Jackson and in Idaho – and for young music enthusiasts, more music camps and family programming.
“We want to meet our patrons where they are,” said Ashley Hernandez-Salinas, Community Engagement Manager for the festival.
According to Hernandez-Salinas, the new community offerings are being met with record turnout – double, sometimes even triple, compared to last year.
Meghan Heinrich, or “Miss Meghan with the purple hair” to her young students, is GTMF’s education coordinator. She has worked with the festival’s community programs for years, providing musical education for all ages.
Heinrich is excited about the expansion — it means the community has more opportunities to connect with renowned classical artists.
GTMF-goers enjoy the shade and sun on the Center for the Arts Lawn. (Rosalie Daval)
“This year, almost every single on-the-road concert features a different group of musicians,” she said. “So, we are getting more musicians who are interested in being a part of the on-the-road and community programs, getting out into the community and performing.”
One of those musicians is Juan de Gomar, contrabassoonist in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, who has been a musician in the festival for 24 years.
“I love interacting with little kids and having them see instruments up close,” he said. “They just light up, they get these really big smiles. I think it’s important to serve our community and our community is the greater Jackson Hole area, and the more we can do that the better.”
One of the goals of the festival’s community outreach is to make classical music more accessible. That goes for young children in camps and family programs, but also for anyone who may feel intimidated by the prospect of an orchestra concert.
“I totally get that, I was (intimidated) too the first time I went,” said de Gomar. “I think you might be surprised how welcoming a place it is. It really is a community coming together.”
For Megan Heinrich, demystifying music need not be complicated.
“Any musical experience is a good musical experience,” she said. “There’s no right or wrong way to do it.”
Days after the July 3rd concert, Heinrich held a “Musical Adventures” program at a green space in downtown Jackson, aimed at children ages one through five. About 60 hip-high children and their families learned new songs and danced to old favorites, accompanied by Heinrich on the ukulele.
Heinrich begins each “Musical Adventure” by learning every child’s name and singing it back to them.
“It’s such a little thing,” she said. “And, I may only remember their names for that hour. But for a 2-year-old to see someone look them in the eyes and sing their name, it makes a pretty special connection. It makes them want to keep coming back.”
And Heinrich she hopes they continue to do just that — come back. As participation and interest grow, the festival’s programming will grow with it.
The Grand Teton Music Festival will offer weekly orchestra concerts and free community programs through mid-August.
