Drumming Up Business
For A CD Recording
SUZANNE CHESSLER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
orth Farmington High cluding 20th-century music struments," said David, who has
School, on what would oth- specifically composed for percus- been accepted at Central Michi-
erwise be quiet Sunday af- sion, such as "Charleston Capers" gan University, where he hopes
to expand his experiences into a
ternoons, recently opened by George Hamilton Green.
Parents active in the North performance or t: aching career.
its doors to 16 music students and
Friendship brought Matt
Farmington High School Band
their adult leader.
While the rest of the building and Orchestra Boosters are or- Salter, a 16-year-old junior, into
remained empty, they filled the ganizing the sale of the CD, The the program.
"I like the intensity and the
auditorium and nearby hallways Rhythm Goats, trying to get local
with the sounds of their instru- record stores to carry it after the ability to perform a good show,"
Matt said.
ments — drums of all sorts, cym- June 17 release date.
Eric Slaim, a 16-year-old ju-
Susi Velick, a parent, is taking
bals, xylophones, marimbas and
orders for the recordings at 553- nior, studied piano since he was
even sleigh bells.
a preschooler but never played in
Soon their music will be avail- 3627.
able to everyone as the North
Farmington Percussion Ensem-
ble completes its first compact
disk as a fund-raising project.
The ensemble, organized in the
late 1980s, has drawn dedicat-
ed Jewish and non-Jewish mem-
bers, who often practice before
school starts and late into the
evening.
Members take pride in the
recognition they have received.
This year, they were chosen the
best instrumental group at the
Heritage Music Festival in
Nashville, where they also won
the Adjudicators Award, given
out for the first time in 10 years
because of the group's overall
high score.
"Most of the members learn
the instruments while being part Eric Slaim, Matt Salter, David Altwerger and Jeremy Roth rehearse.
of the group," said James Covi-
"I'm impressed with their com- a group until he became part of
ak, conductor and percussion-
studies director at North mitment," Ms. Velick said of the the percussion ensemble.
"Basically the ensemble has
Farmington. The group uses students. "It takes each of them
working together as a group to become just about my entire life,"
nearly 100 instruments.
"I choose carefully who's going achieve the high level of quality he said. "I work at it every single
day and practice between 20 and
to play which instruments. The we have in this CD."
Quality is particularly impor- 30 hours a week.
greater variety students know,
"I'm really glad we're doing the
the faster they can pick up oth- tant to David Altwerger, a senior
who is principal percussionist CD. When I have kids, I can show
ers. "
them what I did when I was their
Mr. Coviak selected the num- and section leader.
"I play between 20 and 30 in- age."
bers which will be on the CD, in-
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Group To Oppose
Temple Beth El Slate
JILL DAVIDSON SKLAR STAFF WRITER
he official slate for the
board of Temple Beth El
will be heading for a show-
down at the anneal election
June 29 as a newly formed oppo-
sition slate adds its names to the
ballot.
According to Steve Mitchell of
the Committee to Save Temple
Beth El, about 100 people at-
tended a convention last week at
St: Andrew Lutheran Church to
T
finalize a list of candidates.
"We are pleased with the slate
that we have put forth," Mr.
Mitchell said.
Challenging President John
Kamins, who is running for re-
election, will be fifth-generation
Temple Beth El member Curtis
DeRoy Kuttnauer. Mr. Kut-
tnauer, 34, is a senior marketing
specialist at IBM. He said his goal
is to make the temple more ap-
pealing to younger people and to
help heal the rifts in the congre-
gation.
"It is my goal to try and find
a happy medium between the
older members and the younger
generations," he said. "I think
there can be a happy medium.
We just have to figure out how to
do it."
Mr. Kuttnauer said he decid-
ed to add his name to the list of