Extra Pocket Change

The arts have a way of tickling people’s emotions. Twelve years ago we lived in Europe as a family. My husband and I, feeling adventurous, decided to facilitate a European performance opportunity for our three musician daughters (ages 8, 11 and 14). We convinced our daughters that the Paris metro station would be the perfect gig and would help them bring in a little extra pocket change.

Our violinist, flautist and pianist (on the keyboard) set up in the corner of a crowded corridor and began playing their repertoire. People bustled past and paid little notice of the music. Then, they began to play an arrangement of “I Am a Child of God.” A crowd began to form. People stopped and listened and were touched by the music they heard. My observation was this: music has a powerful transcending influence on people. The influence of art, music, poetry, theater and literature carry their own spirit that seeps into people’s souls. That’s why I’m so excited about working on the Arts Center Festival.

Our three daughters also elicited their first patrons; they walked away with 40 euros. Not bad for a metro gig.

Allyson Chard