By Nicole Falco
Like the Patridges, the Jones are musicians, but instead of a bus, they travel by minivan. But unlike the Bradys and Patridges, the Jones aren't the creation of television executives.
The Jones - parents Yvette and Darrell Sr., and children Darcel, 18, Darrell, 17, Daniel, 15, Donnell, 14, Danice, 13, and D'Andra, 11 - are a tight-knit Valley Stream family with an abundance of talent. The children perform together as "Ancestral Horizons," a name Darrell Sr. conceived as a way of conveying a sense of the new and traditional. They've performed at local schools, at the Queens Center Mall in Elmhurst, Queens, in Wasington D.C., at Lincoln Center, at the Brooklyn Queens Conservatory of Music and at halftime at a Kinicks-Lakers game at Madison Square Garden, just to name a few.Their parents act as their managers, Darrell Sr. doubles as a roadie and Yvette as a costume designer. But more than anything else, mom and dad offer support and encouragement.
"[In society] the family unit seems to be degrading," Darrell Sr. said. "We're not focused on family the way we used to be. I try to utilize our family as a means of showing the unity and importance of family. We're more or less there to make sure they are enjoying what they are doing."
To call the Jones musicians is an understatement. Each child is a skilled percussionist and they can play other instruments besides. Darcel, a Central High School student, plays the bass, flute and mbira or thumb piano. Darrell, a Central student, plays the tenor saxophone, mbira and piano. Daniel, a Central student, plays the trumpet, keyboard and piano. Donnell, who attends Memorial Junior High, plays the alto saxophone, piano and African xylofone. Danice, who also attends Memorial, plays the violin, piano and mbira. And D'Andra, at student at the Clear Stream Avenue School, plays the mbira.
But that's not all. The children also sing. They compose their own music. Their performances also incorporate dance. Each child has studied Modern, African, Dunham and Horton dance techniques, as well as the Brazilian martial art capoeira.
"Most of the performances we do have a set routine, but we have variations of what we will perform," Darrell said. "We have a lot of toys inside a basket so we are always able to pull out a lot of different things."
Finding time to practice and study isn't easy, but somehow it all gets done. As devoted as the family is to music, school comes first according to Yvette and Darrell Sr.
"If it's a busy week, we won't go to something so they can concentrate on school," Yvette said.
Darrell Sr. added, "We find a way to really maximize our time the best we can without impacting anybody's schooling."
Besides academics, there's also sports. Darcel runs track and plays tennis. Darrell wrestles, plays basketball and football and runs track. Daniel plays basketball, runs track and wrestles. Donnell runs track, plays basketball and soccer and wrestles. Danice plays soccer, basketball, volleyball and tennis and runs track. And D'Andra runs track and plays basketball and tennis. Like other teenagers, the Jones kids also enjoy just hanging out with their friends.
Though Yvette is a teacher's aid at Forest Road School and Darrell Sr. is an electrical supervisor at Kennedy Airport, sometimes keeping up with their children's schedules can seem like a full-time job, but that's how they like it.
Prior to moving to Valley Stream in 1999, the family lived in East New York, Brooklyn. "Those were mean streets," Darrell Sr. said. "We wanted to give our kids other options to steer them clear of those mean streets. So we kept them active."
Yvette added, "When we were in Brooklyn the kids really didn't go outside to play much, so we started doing Saturday activities to keep them doing something positive."
It all started with Darcel learning to dance, and as each child came of age, they followed her lead. "She really inspired us," Yvette said of Darcel, who had knee surgery at 8 years old. "She's the one who started all of this for us. It's amazing to see her go from where we thought her being able to dance would be over to now."
Though Darcel will be attending college in the fall, she plans to go local so the family will continue to perform. "I think we can continue it," said Darcel, who hopes to open her own dance school some day. "I want to be able to pass it on to other people. When we have kids of our own, our kids can do it."
Like Darcel, Darrell and Donnell also see music as a possible career path. "Music is a major asset in my life," said Darrell, who wants to start his own record label. "Everything in my life revolves around music."
Danice and Daniel said they like the fact that music brings their family together. D'Andra calls it a blessing. "It's really good to be in a family who does different things instead of having nothing to do and only playing video games."
Music has given the Jones a lot more than something to do. It's given them the opportunity to spend a lot of time together, options for the future, self-confidence, discipline and the ability to influence others in a positive way.
"I try to stress to them that they are artists and what they do can influence others," Darrell Sr. said.
And it does. "People are sometimes in shock because they didn't know my feet could move that fast," Darcel said. "They'll ask us, 'Where did you learn this?' and 'How can I learn this?' and they'll ask us when we can do this again."
Comments about this story? NFalco@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 208.
