Page 23 - Florida Sentinel 3-24-17

National
World’s Youngest Conductor To Direct 75-Piece Orchestra
3rd Grade Teacher Inspiring Students And Raising Money For Art At Her School Through Motown Fundraiser
Students at Baldwin Hills Elementary display their musical talents during fundraising shows.
The New Edition tribute.
Matthew Smith is an accomplished musician.
As the youngest conductor to direct a 75-piece orchestra, 11- year-old Matthew Smith is quite literally setting the tempo for black excellence. The Not- tingham, England native is preparing to lead the city's Sym- phony Orchestra in a perform- ance of Johann Strauss' Operetta Die Fledermaus.
In addition to being a Grade 5 violinist, the young prodigy is a multi-instrumentalist who also enjoys playing the drums, gui- tar, piano, and viola. "He ab- solutely does have a natural ability," said his music teacher
and mentor in an interview with
Sky News.
Matthew's talents extend be- yond the arts. If he doesn't make it as a professional musi- cian, he says he would like to work as a scientist or engineer. When asked how he feels about his opening night debut, Matthew said, "At first I was nervous but you just get used to doing it, but the thing is you have to keep counting the beats."
Matthew's opening debut will be held at the Nottingham Royal Concert Hall on April 2nd.
LOS ANGELES, CA —-One Third-grade teacher at Baldwin Hills Elementary in Los Angeles, California, is making an ever- lasting impact on her students through the art of music.
Each year, Malinda Williams gathers students in different grade levels to pay trib- ute to hits of the 60s and 70s with through creative costumes and stellar choreography.
Through these performances, Williams and the Baldwin Hills students have raised thousands of dollars for arts education and have gained Internet fame.
This annual "Sounds of Mo- town" show is something near and dear Mrs. Williams holds close to her heart.
Besides the annual "Sounds of Motown" show, Malinda William's one of a kind chore- ography can be found during Baldwin Hills Elementary holi- day performances, Black History Month programs, and multicul- tural events.
It was at one Black History Month program where a group of boys danced to "My Girl" by
The Temptations that sparked the idea for a full Motown show. Unfortunately, shortly after that performance, budget cuts shook up the arts department and almost cost the music teacher a job. An advocate of the arts, Mrs. William was deter- mined to raise the money needed to keep the teacher around, thus the Motown revue
fundraiser was born.
The kids have danced to The
Temptations, The Jackson 5, The Four Tops, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye.
Besides thousands of views on YouTube, these talented stu- dents have gained attention from a few celebrities over the
years.
The year when Mrs.
Williams decided to scale back on Motown but pay tribute to New Edition, the video went viral. It caught the attention of New Edition's manager who invited the boys to perform with the group at a live concert.
The Motown shows have helped these students learn about music history, dance, per- formances, backstage etiquette, stage presence, self-confidence and so much more that they would miss out on if the arts de- partment was cut.
The kids have learned about themselves and witnessed the impact their work has had on others.
Facebook And Insulin Pump Help Student Free Herself From Car Trunk After Being Kidnapped
Nursing student Brittany Diggs was kidnapped by armed rob- ber and put inside the trunk of her car. She escaped by using her insulin pump.
BIRMINGHAM, AL —— An Alabama woman is lucky to be alive – thanks to a Facebook video.
A week ago, nursing student Brittany Diggs was forced into the trunk of her own car by a man demanding money.
Last Tuesday a man ap- proached her with a gun and de- manded money while she was walking to her apartment in Birmingham.
When the student said she didn’t have any money, the man forced her into her Nissan Al- tima and told her to drive him to another part of town.
After unsuccessfully trying to rob two couples, the suspect de- manded Diggs check her trunk before telling her to get inside, she said.
The kidnapper then found her wallet and demanded her PIN numbers to withdraw cash from ATMs, threatening to kill her if she didn’t comply.
She recalled, “Every other thing he said was ‘or I’m going
to kill you.’
The suspect became increas-
ingly frustrated after he failed to get cash at several ATMs. He stopped at a gas station to try another, and Diggs said panic started to set in.
Then the student remem- bered a Facebook video describ- inghowtousealatchtoopena car trunk from the inside. She used the light on her insulin pump to find the latch in the darkness and waited for her kid- napper to get back into the vehi- cle.
When the suspect got back into the car, he pulled out much faster than Diggs said she ex- pected. Still, she pulled the latch and tumbled out of the trunk, a harrowing escape that was caught on the gas station’s secu- rity cameras. She was able to run into the gas station store to hide while the owner called po- lice.
With the suspect still at large, Diggs doesn’t feel safe enough to return to her apartment.
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