On a Saturday afternoon in February, Cliburn 180º, the Foundation's social group for music lovers in their 20s and 30s, presented a special Musical Awakenings program for the children at Cook Children's Hospital in Fort Worth. The special afternoon presentation was made possible through the fundraising efforts of the 180º group, and provided the Cliburn a unique opportunity to share the joy and excitement of the Musical Awakenings programs with children who are patients at the hospital.
Shields-Collins Bray, the Cliburn's artistic advisor and a Musical Awakenings host, together with pianist Jonathan Tsay, presented "How Many Hands Does it Take to Play the Piano?" Children watched and listened as Mr. Tsay demonstrated playing the piano with one and then two hands, performing works by Mussorgsky, Debussy, and Bach. Mr. Bray later joined him at the keyboard, explaining how the instrument could also be played with three and four hands. Through these demonstrations and lively discussions, the children learned about tempos and the dynamic range of the instrument while experiencing the performance of four-hand works by Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Bach, and Saint-Saëns, among others.
One particular highlight of the afternoon included a duet between one of the children and Mr. Tsay. After volunteering, he situated the child at the piano and taught her a simple two-note base line. Once she was comfortable with her part, Mr. Tsay joined in, playing a bright and cheerful ragtime melody in the instrument's upper register. After finishing, Mr. Tsay taught her to bow, which she did to the enthusiastic cheers of her family, other children, and 180º volunteers.
The Cliburn appreciates the efforts of the 180º group who made this presentation possible, brightening the afternoon of all those who participated.