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Community Corner

Kidz Klez Band of Michigan Has a Whiz in Its Midst

Viola player Ari Dubrinsky is involved in Huntington Woods Teen Council, Environmental Advisory Committee.

Ari Dubrinsky

School:

Hometown: Huntington Woods

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Accomplishments: festival in Royal Oak. It was the second consecutive year the band showcased Klezmer music, a tradition that parallels Hasidic and Ashkenazic Judaism, during the Labor Day weekend event.

Besides participating in Kidz Klez, Ari is involved in Huntington Woods Teen Council, "which she loves," mom Karen Dubrinsky said.

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"She enjoys volunteering and had a great time at the Teeniors Bingo, which pairs teens and senior citizens for a game night at the Rec Center," Dubrinsky said.

Ari also participates in the Environmental Advisory Committee, Dubrinsky said, and helped with a float for the Huntington Woods Fourth of July Parade.

The joy of music

Ari, an eighth-grader at Norup International School, is an honor roll student who loves animals, playing chess and, of course, music.

Her mother said she often will hear a song on the piano and learn to play it on her viola, the only one in the band. The viola is similar to the violin, Dubrinsky said, but has a lower range.

Ari practices the viola regularly, sometimes for long periods of time. She is consistent and dedicated, Dubrinsky said.

"She does it for fun," her mom said.

Entertaining at Arts, Beats & Eats

Kidz Klez was all smiles Monday as the crowd gathered in a circle in front of the stage, dancing to a joyful Hava Nagila. Ari was seated in the middle of the group, a bright green clip holding up her sheet music.

The celebratory nature of the music emanated from the young musicians, and from Kidz Klez director Alan Posner, who joked and riled the crowd with a little help from the band.

The drummer didn't miss a beat, and had the crowd laughing with a few punchline drum rolls: "Ba-da-boom, TISH."

Ari and the band kept it lively with some stirring numbers, all part of the Klezmer style.

Posner, the band director for and , described Klezmer as "a mish-mash of jazz, Dixieland and traditional Jewish music from Eastern Europe.”

Ari has played the viola for three years in Norup's orchestra, Dubrinsky said.

"Playing for an audience can be scary at first but you get used to it really fast," Ari said.

Ari said she enjoys playing the songs that she's heard at her synagogue and likes to share the music with people who aren't familiar with Klezmer.

Musicians in grades six through 12 in Metro Detroit are invited to try out, Kids Klez president Darren Hessenthaler said. The group practices every other Sunday at the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield and Congregation Beth Shalom in Oak Park.

Contact Hessenthaler at dhessenthaler@comcast.net or visit www.kidzklez.com for more information.

Key to Awesomeness: "I believe that Ari is successful at her craft because she loves it," Dubrinsky said. "Practicing is not a chore for her, because she loves playing music! She often plays by ear and figures out melodies for herself."

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