World-renowned violinist Maxim Vengerov grew up as an only child in Novosibirsk in western Siberia. But he was never short of
playmates because the orphanage that his mother, Larisa, established was always teeming with children.
‘I learnt from my mother how to work with children. My mother rescued many children who would otherwise have had nowhere to go,” says Vengerov.
Vengerov, who was in South Africa in November last year as part of the third International Classical Music Festival (ICMF), has himself become a ‘rescuer” of children. He’s been involved with Unicef since 1997 and travels as a goodwill ambassador for music to places such as Harlem in the United States, Uganda and Thailand to bring the inspiration of music to disadvantaged youth.
The Russian musician is a firm believer that musical expression is vital for the creative and holistic development of children.
‘We must look at the development of the body and soul of a child,” says the 29-year-old musical genius.
Vengerov, who is a multi-award- winning violinist and considered the greatest living violinist, was on a tour that included workshops with Gauteng children and a gala concert where proceeds were donated to local music education projects.
At his workshop in Alexandra township, Vengerov gave children a chance to experience the artistry of his craft and also gave pointers to help the children develop their playing techniques. His teaching style was light and generous and he kept reminding the children to ‘chill out, have fun and smile”.
‘What is the music telling you?” he asked a 13-year-old boy called Sam, who was one of the workshop participants. When Sam shrugged his shoulders, Vengerov didn’t give up, instead gently probed for more answers: ‘Well, that’s already a good answer to start with. But is it happy or sad music?”
Eventually Sam started to open up, not just to what the music was saying to him but about the communication process as well.
Vengerov had an easy connection with the children and wove sports analogies into his exchanges with them. He also taught them dance steps from cultures all over the world to get them to relax.
‘There are similarities between sports and music. They both have the power to get children to express themselves,” he says.
‘Music is something that can help children stay off the streets,” Vengerov adds.
Vengerov believes music should be incorporated into formal
education structures and not be confined to extramural activities or as a weekend hobby. Maxim adds that music education doesn’t have to just be about classical music. ‘I know the violin is a luxury for children who don’t have running water, or for children who have to work all day, but I know the joy that music can bring even in the most difficult of circumstances”.
He says it’s also about using whatever improvised instruments are available and to honour indigenous music traditions. Ingrid Hedlund, creative director of the ICMF, says this convergence between indigenous and classical music has powerful significance, particularly in South Africa.
‘Our aim is to create common ground between cross-cultural musicians and we believe music education should start with
children,” she says.
This Section 21 company promotes music education by getting professional musicians to donate their time and also by employing musicians to work in disadvantaged communities.
The ICMF is also involved with projects such as instrument collection drives in Europe to help young musicians in this country.