JAVS Fall 2005

keep up with Ca rlos' rapid clave beat while rhe ochers danced salsa, the ensemble parading through the cafeteria. Performing music is always ftm for me but d1is rime it had a more resounding effect on people. 1 watched Suzie's fuce brighten when l played her d1e Sarabande lium Bach's first Cello Suite. She had heard us playing and came ro rake a closer look, waiting until we had fi nished a raucous gypsy song to request d1at 1 play somed1ing cla~ ica l. SLrzie and Bobby first arrived at the shelter requesting a ride back to see d1eir home. It was d1eir first visit back since rl1ey had crawled onto their rooftop to escape the quickly risingwaters of the storm smge. Clutching a fullen tree through eight hours of wind and rain d1ey mi raculously sw·vived ro crawl down and find hdp. Upon returning d1ey found mud and mildew,

my Ci·iend Ph.i.l and T were in it, swe-at ing water &~ter than we cOLJd drirJ<. it fi·om the thousands and thousand~ of bottles lying in a mountainous pile outside the front of the school. We had joined forces with our reli gious organization's reliefeffort in Baton Rouge and were deployed in a small group comprised ofa chiro practor, a housewife, a retired navy engineer and us, the musicians. 1 am a violist, violinisr, and elementary school music teacher, while Phil is a gui ta rist and singer. We played music rogerher in a group in Santa Barbara, and were convinced to bring our instruments by the fellow parishioner who raised the money for our travel tickers. Packing as lit de as possible, 1 was reluctant ar first. Who would have rime for music with al l the work ro be done?

But after our first night of playing, my opinion changed. Phi l played his guitar, 1 played violin and together we did what we do eve•y night at home, playing improvised musical conversations. Sometimes Phil would sing Johnny Cash and Leadbel ly songs. At first it was a few people coming over to listen, then a circle fo rmed and before long it got so nobody at the shelter let us go a nighr without playing. T he Second Street School was slow ly transform ing into a fun ctional shelter, due mos tly to the combined efforts of our team and a crew of Puerto Ricans who worked tireless ly. Our Navy trained engineer leader rigged up electricity ro a gen erator and we were in business. We housed families in the gymnasium and stored food and supplies in d1e newly cleaned class rooms. At eight o'clock in d1e evening d1e army trucks cruised

around the empty streets-a eurfew to prevent looting and gas siphoning. The heat never really waned as we ate our mili tary rationed MRE.'s and sou thern sweet tea and cele brated with our new comrades the victo ries or the day's work. One night the Puerto Ricans found some percussion . . msrrumenrs 111 a classroom and we began a rousing wild-eyed Latin jam, Phi l and T trying to

__j OURNAL O r: T H E AMERI~AN VIOLA SO ~ , ·TY 18