At the end of every semester, iSchool of Music & Art hosts their "Big Gig." During this concert, the children enrolled in the school's iBand program perform live on stage in front of a packed house of screaming fans, friends and family.
"Typically in other musical programs kids play in a small recital, but we wanted to give the kids a different experience," said iSchool director Ken Benshish. "So we have what we call the 'Big Gig' instead. When the kids get off the stage, they feel like a million bucks."
The core program at iSchool is iBand, an innovative class of music instruction that emphasizes performing in a band. Each semester the bands pick three to four songs on certain themes and then practice for the entire term, culminating in this end-of-semester performance. The theme for the most recent "Big Gig," which took place at the Nutty Irishman in Farmingdale during the last weekend in January, was music from movie soundtracks. Songs such "Decode" by Paramore, which was on the Twilight Soundtrack, and "Paranoid" by Black Sabbath, which has been used numerous times in various films including Sid & Nancy, Dazed and Confused, The Stoned Age, Any Given Sunday, Almost Famous, and We Are Marshall, were on display for all to hear.
There are two iSchool locations, on Vanderbuilt Avenue in Port Washington and on Cold Spring Road in Syosset, which combined for 42 bands that shared the stage.
"We were looking for a better way to get kids involved in music," Benshish said. "The iBand program gives the students practical application of learning a musical instrument."
Nine-year-old Port Washington resident Max Popper has been playing at iSchool for four years. His band, "The Flying Drumsticks," performed "Johnny Be Good." "Max wanted to learn the guitar because his father played," said Max's mother Jackie. "So we enrolled him in iSchool. He has been playing ever since."
One of the goals of the school, according to Benshish, is to bring together kids who love the same things and give them a way to socialize and feel comfortable in a fun environment. Brandan Finnerty, of Port Washington, who plays guitar in "The Ghost of Harrison," said he has benefited from iSchool in more than just music. "The greatest thing I have gotten out of iSchool is being able to make friends and be with other people," Finnerty said.
The innovative school has inspired many young artists to follow their passions. Some of the kids spoke about their inspirations, including Aerosmith, Jimi Hendrix and Guns N' Roses, to name a few. All of the young artists seemed enthusiastic about being part of the "Big Gig," and getting to do what they love — play music.
"I have been playing for five-and-a-half years," said Anne Marie Woltke, who played guitar and vocals for "Chinchillica," one of Port's iSchool bands. "I hope to play for a long time to come and be a famous music artist one day."
