Bartlett students introduced to alternative music

Orchestral programs do not have to consist solely of Bach, Beethoven and Mozart if you are one of Tom Havel's students at Bartlett High School.

Each year Havel sponsors either an extracurricular jazz or fiddling club in which Bartlett students can pursue music outside the orchestral mainstream. This year's offering is fiddling, which gives participants a chance to explore bluegrass or string-based traditional American music.

"If we were in a more rural area, we would be called a string band," Havel said.

Along with violins and mandolins, the Bartlett fiddlers also play violas and cellos, upright acoustic bass and acoustic guitar. The music they play is often considered square dance or even hootenanny music, generally considered to be the sound of the rural south.

"In the last 10 years or so in music education, there has been a trend toward exposing students to alternative musical forms," Havel said.

Havel sponsors the jazz club one year, the fiddling club the next, but has broken with tradition this year as Bob Phillips, the author of the fiddling arrangements they use, will be working with U-46 students in several schools this spring.

Participation ranges from at least 12 students with sometimes an additional seven or eight joining in, depending on their other extracurricular activities. Havel keeps the structure loose, allowing students to come and go, not quite at will, but with a willingness to let them participate and work within their schedules.

"This is a very relaxed atmosphere," said Rebecca Freier, 16, of Bartlett.

Havel acknowledges that he keeps the one-hour weekly practices informal.

"We sing and dance and do goofy things," he said. "Some people would say we're just screwing around."

The Fiddling Club performs at nursing homes, school fundraisers and other similar, low-key events about three or four times a year. In addition to playing songs such as "Cripple Creek," "Boil Them Cabbage Down," and "Road to Boston," the group also sings and performs several square dances.

"I know we're not professional singers and we don't have to worry about pitch," Havel told them at a recent practice. "Remember, we can't mumble but have to be clear in our singing."

Bluegrass poses its challenges.

"It can be surprisingly difficult to play," said senior Matthew Sauck, 17, of Hanover Park. "The difference between this and classical is that the music here kind of jumps up and down and sometimes the breaks are tough."

Havel says it's hard for the students to change their mindset from classical to bluegrass.

Participating in Fiddling Club also allows participants to try new instruments. Many of the violinists play selected songs on the mandolin, for instance. Havel calls them "twangers," and generally gives them easier parts to play because of their unfamiliarity with the instrument.

The easygoing tone set by Havel is reflected among the veterans of the group. Senior Kelly Kietzman, 17, of Hanover Park, who plays the lead melody in virtually every piece, likes the idea of less pressure.

"Half of the fun is when we make mistakes," Kietzman said. "We expect to make them."

Such an attitude has made it easy for freshmen Emilie Iannarelli, 14, of Bartlett and Michelle Podumis, 14, of Hanover Park to easily transition into the group.

"This is definitely one of the more fun extracurricular activities," Iannarelli said.

"Even though there are a lot of seniors they don't make you feel bad when you make a mistake," Podumis said.