By:Eileen Greco
Of course, it takes practice. But, it's more than that. It takes an instructor with a love of music, embodied by the foot-tapping, finger-snapping unbridled enthusiasm of Keith Pray, band instructor at Our Lady of Lourdes in Malverne, and a jazz aficionado.
"I try to keep it positive, make it fun to learn music", said Pray, an instructor with Paul Effman Music Service, a company that provides music instruction to private schools in the Northeast and Florida.
Pray's enthusiasm seems to be winning fans, as the band has grown from 80 students at it's inception to well over 90 students this year.
"I love what I do," said Pray, who holds a graduate degree in jazz performance.
"This is the band's second year," said John McQuillan, Our Lady of Lourdes' principal. "It's been great for the school; it creates a community atmosphere within the different grades, increases the school spirit and the self esteem of the students. The results have been incredible."
At St. Thomas the Apostle in West Hempstead, band practice has taken place after school each Thursday for the past twelve years. The instructor, Ilya Shteynman, imparts a different aura: more studious, more classically-oriented, yet the results are no less astounding.
Shteynman, classically trained with a degree in Orchestra Performance, looks forward to practice each week.
"I play the trumpet, but teach everything." Shteynman's own musical preferences leans towards classical and jazz.
Over 100 students participate in the band, from every grade level. The band is currently preparing for winter and spring concerts.
Each of the schools' bands encompasses the traditional wood, wind instruments, brass and percussion.
Recent research has found that studying an instrument has beneficial effects. A study by the researchers found that childhood music lessons actually enlarge a portion of the brain by 25 percent. That may not matter to Pray's students. But their eyes happily follow his hands, and they hear the tap of his foot, and they shout out "Let's go Band!"
Does Shteynman feel a great sense of satisfaction at the student's performances in the Winter and Spring shows?
"When they play well," he says with a laugh.
