Our Mark Wood Experience

I had not intended to blog about what I'm about to blog about. Neither I nor my children were directly involved. But as the night went on, I realized it needed to be recorded for posterity. It deserves to be remembered.

My niece, Becca, plays the viola. My sister-in-law asked if we wanted to attend her orchestra concert, so I got tickets for Emma, Leah, and myself. This was to be no ordinary school concert. It was held at the Allen Theater downtown, and featured Mark Wood at the helm.

Who is this Mark Wood, you ask. I asked myself the same thing. Turns out Mr. Wood is an electric violinist who plays with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. He has won an Emmy for something, and has played with some famous people on tour. He has invented different types of electric string instruments. He has a band. He has a wife (more on her later) and a son who plays the drums. His son's name is Elijah Wood. (No, not Frodo.) He has created a program for school orchestras which involves teaching the students through rock music. The children learn these songs, and then they have a major concert together.

And let me tell you, this concert rocked. I have not been to many concerts, let alone one where "Enter Sandman" and "Stairway to Heaven" were part of the playlist. The first song was "We Will Rock You," for heaven's sake. We had great seats (4th row!) for experiencing Mark Wood (tight lace up jeans and all), but not quite so good for seeing Becca. She and her fellow 5th and 6th graders were lined up in the aisles while the older kids were on stage. The younger kids did have their turn on stage, however, and rocked the house with "Yellow Submarine."This is how violists cheer...bows held high!

The children learning about proper (and current) concert behavior

And now, a note about Laura Kaye, a wannabe rocker, Mark's wife, and our vocalist for the evening. (Did you realize Beethoven needed a vocalist? Yeah, I didn't either. Apparently there are shrieks and screams involved.) Really, there isn't much to say. I think her chunk of pink hair, purple feathery mike stand, and pants say it all.

Oh, to be able to wear pants (are they really even pants?) like these as I approach the mid-century mark...