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http:// --> Ashland, Oregon HOME Valley & State Sports Nation & World Opinion/Editorial Classifieds Business Columnists Obituaries Weather Archive Hot Topics Forum Photo Gallery Past Readers Polls Revels Etcetera Backpage O-Zone Special Sections Real Estate Guide Menu Guide Shakespeare Subscribe Contact Us Rate Card Place an Ad Online Games Movie Preview October 7, 2006 'Music in Me' should be longer By Robert Lloyd The Associated Press HOLLYWOOD — The one fault of the mini-documentary "The Music in Me: Children's Recitals From Classical to Latin, Jazz to Zydeco" — "performance" would be a better word than "recital," given the range of settings, none of which fits the usual sense of "recital" — is that at 30 minutes it's over far too quickly. Moving, exciting and hilarious, sometimes by turns and sometimes all at once, it is a deceptively small thing that reminds one how good it can be to be a human living among humans. Debuting Saturday night on HBO, with subsequent repeats beginning Tuesday on HBO Family, the piece is simplicity itself: pictures of all sorts of kids — little kids, small fry, preteens — playing all sorts of music on all sorts of instruments, with a little bit of context. Short home video clips link six longer pieces, professionally (and handsomely) shot and edited, that focus on a range of musical styles but also present a good mix of colors, cultures and urban, suburban and rural environments, and glimpses of family life. This is the sort of thing that television does well — the seeming bagatelle that brings the wide world closer — though perhaps not often enough. Cellist Nathan, age 11, performs and explains Saint-Saens' "The Swan." Elena, 10, plays Latin jazz flute in Berkeley, Calif. Qassim, age 9, drums all over Brooklyn, N.Y., on whatever's handy. ("Where I live you can find music eeeeeverywhere," he says, "which is a good thing.") Seven-year-old Guyland plays zydeco accordion, professionally, in Frilot Cove, La. Una, from Portland, Ore., presents her original song "Global Warming" ("Bush is such an idiot/He won't sign the Kyoto Treaty") in a segment shot like a music video. It's not merely that these kids are doing something we routinely think of as beyond the reach of children, although they are certainly prodigiously talented in terms of pure technique. It's the depth of their understanding, their unsullied apprehension of music not only as art but as language, and the way they compound a deep seriousness with a sense of play that leave the strongest impression. Current Comments: Where can I find this special!!?? It was amazing and I am working with CSUSM in the Arts for credentialed teachers; this program would be perfect!! Jessica Peebler - Carlsbad, CA - October 10th, 6:22 PM Leave a Comment: Advertisement: Advertisement: Paid Advertising Inkjet Printers Student Loans Water Filter Helzberg Diamonds Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Advertisement: Copyright © 2006 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers. All Rights Reserved.