Jeff Haynes and Christian Howes perform in schools!

Both of the schools where I teach were treated to very special performances by two world-class players today: Jeff Haynes and Christian Howes. It was such an excellent change of pace to be able to allow the students to experience such a high level of musicianship in school.

These two guys presented themselves very professionally, handled the kids beautifully, and (oh, right) played better than I've heard anyone play for a long time.

Mr. Haynes, who's a top-flight percussionist, went to some extra trouble for me, and had a conversation with one young child who's had a lot of problems over the years, and who is also an incredibly talented young percussion player. Experiences like this are what I always wish that schools could provide for kids, at least occasionally.

If you've never heard of Christian Howes, check him out. He's doing some incredible things with non-traditional violin playing, using lots of electronic effects and playing many different styles of music. He seems like he can pretty much do anything with his instrument, moving effortlessly from Paganini solos to bluegrass, Irish fiddle, and heavy metal.

Cool stuff.

While the performances didn't really relate directly to our in-school curriculum (I teach a pretty traditional beginning orchestra program), I can't help but think that this experience had immense educational value. I know the kids were really excited and motivated, anyway. That can't be a bad thing.