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May 17, 2002/Sivan 6, 5762, Vol. 54, No.35
Young people use music to spread happiness
BETH OLSON
Staff Writer
It all started when four young girls decided to use their musical talent for their mitzvah projects.
The girls, Rachel Baumann, 13, Tracy Oppenheimer, 12, Aliza Kravitz, 12, and Jordan Kravitz, 12, along with Rachel's brother Aaron, 11, who plays the cello and accompanies the other musicians on piano, formed Mitzvah Music to perform free concerts at hospitals, shelters and nursing homes. The five are all students at Cocopah Middle School in Scottsdale and members of Temple Chai.
Prior to her bat mitzvah, each of the girls is responsible for setting up performances for the group, including selecting the music and creating programs.
Rachel Baumann, who plays the violin, was the first to celebrate her bat mitzvah, in January, and she set up the first two performances at Pueblo Norte Nursing Home and Kivel Campus of Care.
"At Pueblo Norte they were really responsive. They clapped and thanked us for coming," recalls Baumann. "At Kivel they were older people so some of them fell asleep, but I think they were happy we were there. In a way it was nice because that means our playing was relaxing."
Oppenheimer, a clarinetist, will celebrate her bat mitzvah in June. For her mitzvah project the group has already performed at the VA Hospital and the Arizona State Hospital where Oppen-heimer's father works as a doctor.
"They were very enthusiastic and they really liked it and I think that's why I like it so much - because it's nice to see them so happy. It's a really, really great feeling," Oppenheimer says.
Aliza and Jordan Kravitz will celebrate their b'nai mitzvah jointly on Oct. 12, and will plan concerts for the fall.
The group also performed at the Watkins Overflow Shelter - in a concert arranged by the Kravitz family - to their largest crowd of several hundred people.
"We try to do our best no matter how many people there are in the audience, but we usually like to play for a bigger audience," says Jordan Kravitz, who plays the flute. "I like being in front of a lot of people."
Susan Baumann, mother of Rachel and Aaron, says the concert at the shelter was one of the most moving experiences of her life.
"We've been going to these homeless shelters through Temple Chai for years, so the kids had been there and they weren't sure if this population of people would be appreciative of classical music," she says. "They were just eating out of the kids' hands. They were begging for them to play more. ... They were so appreciative and they truly enjoyed the music."
Aliza Kravitz, a violinist, says the shelter was her favorite performance because "everyone was really getting into the music."
Susan Baumann says the performances include a variety of pieces, from solos and duets to group renditions of "The Star Spangled Banner" and "God Bless America."
Jordan Kravitz says that the group has talked about continuing their endeavors even after they have all celebrated their b'nai mitzvot, and they have discussed eventually making a compact disc.
"It makes me feel like I've done something really good for my community," she says. "It's a good feeling to play."
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