By Dawn Harris
For two to three weeks out of the year, young people from all over the world come together to learn and play music at Fort Lewis College for the Music in the Mountains Conservatory. The group includes young people from places like Portugal, Finland, Taiwan, and New Zealand. Three San Juan County students from Farmington and Aztec were able to participate in the Conservatory this year. All of them had their own challenges and triumphs, but every one of them came away having learned something new.
Music in the Mountains is now in its eighteenth season as a world class classical music festival. Since they added the Conservatory to the program, students have gathered at Fort Lewis College to better their musical skills. The Conservatory strives to maintain a quality musical education for all its participants by providing nationally and internationally renowned instructors, giving private lessons throughout the week, and putting musicians in different levels of instruction.
Students learned and performed a variety of music styles at the Conservatory this year. They played Vivaldi, old time fiddle tunes, and even performed a piece called “Rosin Eating Zombies.” Courtney Skeen, 13, says, “Most of the kids liked ‘Rosin-Eating Zombies’ because they got to scream in it, but one of my favorites was called ‘Souvenir De Porto Rico.’ It had a fun rhythm and it was a little more challenging.” Courtney Skeen has been playing violin for nearly two years, and enjoys playing classical music. “It seems to have more depth and I like that it is more formal than the casual fiddle music.” Courtney’s favorite part of the Music in the Mountains festival was going to the evening concerts. Some of them were entertaining – like the one where performers played with their bows in their mouths, behind their backs, or while laying on the floor – but many of them were inspiring. “They were very inspiring because most of them were really good. It was amazing to see how good they could make an instrument sound.”
Levi Brown is a senior at Farmington High School, and was challenged by his two weeks at the Conservatory. He participated in the piano track of Music in the Mountains this year, and had the opportunity to play in the Next Generation Concert. He played “Suggestion Diabolike”, a piece that he says is “a change from what you usually hear at a piano recital.” Levi enjoyed his time at the Conservatory because it challenged him in many ways. He learned new skills musically, but he also learned life skills that will stay with him for years. “One of the most important things I learned was to keep your mind open to new things. My teacher told me to do thing that were weird to me at first, but then they helped.”
Cordell Sheak, 15, has been playing violin for seven years, and has played with numerous groups. However, he still enjoys playing at Music in the Mountains best. “There’s just something about the Music in the Mountains orchestra. They’re people your age so you can communicate with them and have fun with them.” He enjoys more than just the music at the Conservatory. After participating in the Conservatory for three years, Cordell has found friends that come back year after year. He says, “It’s so much fun to go back and meet all the people I know from previous years.” Cordell enthusiastically recommends Music in the Mountains for any string or piano player, saying “I would encourage every string player to participate – I enjoyed every minute of it.”
All three of the San Juan County students were able to participate in the conservatory because of scholarships they received. Levi and Cordell received scholarships from the Northwest New Mexico Arts Council, and Courtney received her scholarship from the Music in the Mountains Conservatory.
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