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Ten-year-old Carrington Edmonds sat with his back straight. Violin snug under his chin. Eyes on conductor David Robinson III. Serious.
Robinson raised his hands, then dropped them quickly, and within seconds, Carrington and 25 other musicians in the Still Waters Youth Sinfo-Nia Orchestra filled Providence Missionary Baptist Church with the mellow sounds of "God Bless the Child."
On this recent Saturday morning, Still Waters, the only African-American community youth orchestra in metro Atlanta, was rehearsing for a performance today at the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta for TBS' Trumpet Awards, an annual event honoring African-American achievements. The program will be televised at a later date.
Still Waters is Robinson's passion, he says. He is also the orchestra director at four elementary schools in the DeKalb County system. Robinson started this youth orchestra in 1990.
"There is a shortage of blacks in symphony orchestras across the nation; a lot of the orchestras don't even contain one black player," Robinson said. "I wanted to give black children a chance to learn and play a variety of music and also to present them with the option of pursuing music as a career."
Robinson, 50, played in a community youth orchestra while growing up in Detroit.
Some members of Still Waters come with some musical experience, such as Carrington, a fifth-grader at Sagamore Hills Elementary School, who has played violin for two years and also plays bass guitar.
"I like being a part of the orchestra because it's fun and we play good music," he said.
Other members only recently picked up instruments. But all skill levels are welcome.
"Still Waters is different because we accept anyone who is willing to learn," Robinson said.
The orchestra has performed throughout metro Atlanta, including at Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin's inauguration, and also has played in Chicago, Tennessee, Texas and Ghana, in West Africa. Still Waters also has a dance team that performs with the orchestra.
While the rewards are great, Robinson says it's been difficult keeping the orchestra on sound financial footing. Still Waters receives money through fund-raisers and through annual tuition of $350 per members.
"Most youth orchestras' tuition fees are a lot higher," Robinson said. "They may charge the children up to $1,000. Some parents are willing to pay higher fees so that they won't have to deal with fund-raising,"
Parents of Still Waters musicians say the orchestra is more than just a musical outlet for their children.
"The orchestra teaches the students to develop beyond music," said Pilar Penn, an attorney in Stone Mountain whose daughter, Chisama Ku, 11, plays violin.
"Still Waters is an orchestra where the sense of family is strong," said violinist David Byrd, 17, who has been in the group for four years. The East Point resident is a senior at Woodward Academy.
Ken Ford, 37, a professional violinist from Conyers, played with Still Waters as a teenager. He went on to play in the DeKalb Symphony Orchestra, the Georgia State University orchestra and the African-American Philharmonic Orchestra. Ford has released two CDs, "Ken Ford Live" and "Burnt Toast."
"I would recommend this orchestra to all young musicians," he said. "The orchestra gave me a chance to experiment; it taught me how to play with soul."
Copyright 2006 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
