Young Violinist Shares Her Musical Talents At The White House

February 7, 2010 by John Rook

Cheshire teenager Lindsay Thompson is used to displaying her musical talent to achieve recognition and awards. Whether it be at a competition or an audition, Thompson, only a sophomore at Cheshire High School, is a veteran.
But, for her latest endeavor, Thompson didn’t need to do a thing. There was no musical piece to perform or judge to preside over the final outcome.
Thompson was simply chosen to be one of about 120 students from around the country to attend a class and concert at the White House.
“I wasn’t even aware of this particular program,” said Thompson. “I heard from the director (of New Haven Neighborhood Music School) who told me about this and I was selected to go. It was amazing. It was kind of hard to believe that something like this would come around.”
The event was part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s White House Community Classroom Music Series, designed to promote musical education among students from all across America. Top young violinists, piano players, guitarists, and cellists, to name a few, were asked to some to the White House in early November and learn from some of the most famous musicians in the world.
More than 15 of the 120 students who attended were chosen from the New Haven Neighborhood Music School, with Thompson among them.
“It was really something that came out of the blue and they needed to know right away if I was interested in going,” explained Thompson. “We went down for 36 hours. It was something that came and went so quickly.”
Thompson has been playing instruments since an early age and has excelled at many, including the violin, which she took to the White House on her trip. While the Cheshire youngster has been to Washington, D.C. numerous times, she had never been inside the famed White House and Thompson marveled at the impressive décor.
“It was very ornate,” Thompson remembered. “The paintings and art all around was really wonderful.”
The students were essentially confined to the East Wing of the building and were subjected to the intense security measures required for entrance.
“The guards checked all of our instruments and our cases were sniffed by dogs,” she remembered.
After passing through, students entered what were called “master classes” with different performers, most of whom were world-renowned for their specific talent with an instrument.
For her “master class,” Thompson was treated to instruction by Grammy-award winning violinist Joshua Bell, who has been featured on numerous television specials. Bell has been a favorite of Thompson’s for years and she was ecstatic to be in a room with one of her idols.
“You grow up listening and watching this person, so just to be able to be in the same room with him, and ask questions, was tremendous,” said Thompson.
During the classroom instruction, Bell invited one student to come up and play, and then instructed the musicians on different ways to approach their music. For Thompson, it was both exciting to be in a class with Bell, and informative.
“He talked about how, when you are playing music, you need to have variation and contrast,” she commented. “You need to tell a story with everything that you play.”
After the classroom activities had ended, all 120 students were invited to attend a special concert, where Bell and other equally famous instructors performed. Before the concert began, Obama addressed the students and spoke to them about the importance of musical education.
“It really encompassed all of the goals,” said Thompson. “She was great.”
The total journey lasted less than two days and, for Thompson, it seemed that everything happened all at once. Yet, for her, it was an experience she will not soon forget.
“I really enjoyed it,” she commented. “It was unexpected and it was a wonderful experience.”