Lynsey Chapman, 11, drums along in rehearsal. She and her siblings
joined Sheltered Reality after a concert at their church last December.
PHOTO: Tracy Dunn
LECLAIRE - A haunting melody rises
slowly in the sanctuary. Soon it is joined by the rhythmic beating of
drums - many drums - as the church fills with sound.
The pews begin to vibrate, and any
whispered conversations are drowned out by the snares and cymbals.
This is music with meaning, and
while the music is a complex layering of percussion and synthesized
sound, its message is a simple one: Help those in need.
Members of Sheltered Reality, a
group of mostly teen-aged percussionists, are rehearsing at Our Savior
Presbyterian Church in rural LeClaire (Argo) for two upcoming
performances. The musicians
number more than 100 and hail from all over Iowa. They've divided into
two performance groups in order to meet the growing demand for
appearances. Members are grouped for lessons and rehearsals in five
Iowa sites - Burlington, LeClaire, West Des Moines, Iowa Falls and
Council Bluffs. On this
Saturday afternoon, members of the LeClaire group are learning a new
song for Nov. 21 performances at Our Savior and Faith Lutheran Church
in Eldridge. The song is entitled "Nemo," which is Finnish for "without
a name" (and not related to the cartoon fish).
The point of the song is that all
too often, the homeless in our society are nameless, too, says Rev. Pat
Halverson, pastor of Our Savior and a "young-at-heart" drummer in
Sheltered Reality. Several
youth from her congregation were inspired to take up their drumsticks
and join the band when Sheltered Reality performed at Our Savior last
December. They began taking lessons and rehearsing with another
half-dozen members from West Liberty.
The drummers have traveled
throughout the Midwest, sharing their "music with meaning" at churches,
schools and youth groups. Sheltered Reality has taken its show on the
longer road, too, traveling as far away as New York. Wherever they go,
they inspire more youths to join the mission. New groups have formed in
Wichita, Kan., Eitzen and Minneapolis, Minn., Detroit, Mich., and
Rochester New York. Next on the list are Chicago, two sites in Ohio,
Kansas City and St. Louis. West
Branch, Iowa, native Steve Schlosser says Sheltered Reality grew out of
work on his Ph.D dissertation at the University of Iowa. He posed the
question, "Could music become a motivator to educate, and then motivate
an audience to take action on social problems?"
The answer, apparently, is a
resounding "Yes!" His postgraduate work has been on "perpetual hold"
since Schlosser founded the percussion group in 1997. Sheltered
Reality, the country's first nonprofit musical organization dedicated
to helping those who live in less fortunate circumstances, has
"exploded," says Schlosser.In 2003, the group made more than 150
appearances at churches, schools, conferences, benefits and festivals,
and its calendar is booked solid a year in advance.
A percussionist since age 11,
Schlosser began teaching drum lessons at 14, but says he never knew he
could take it this far. "And I never imagined it would become such a
great education and motivational tool," he adds.
When performing in public schools,
Sheltered Reality doesn't have to do much to tailor its message of
Christian service. "It really
comes down to character education," says Schlosser. "'Character Counts'
(a popular school theme) fits very well with us.
"Helping others is a difficult
task," he says. "Not only does one need to know what to do and where to
turn, but often, in our society, youth encounter peers who believe that
reaching out and helping others is 'not cool.' To us, Music with
Meaning is the way to disprove this myth. Through our shows, we teach
young and old alike that learning about social problems and how to
address them is not only something we must do, but that it can also be
fun." Halverson agrees.
"This is truly music with meaning,"
she says. "And Steve is so dynamic and inspiring. He works non-stop,
traveling all over and holding day-long rehearsals with the kids." Schlosser encourages band and audience members alike to "take a chance". "It's all about getting them to realize they can make a difference," he says.
Local members of Sheltered Reality
include Pastor Halverson, Eric Ensey, Brianna Nielsen, Ben Roys, and
Kaylyn, Nathan, Kelsey and Lynsey Chapman.
The Chapman kids travel with at
least one of their parents, Brenda and David, to performances out of
the area. Kelsey, 13, says the best part has been getting to meet so
many new people. "I've made a
lot of friends from all over, and we get to help people," she says. One
of her favorite projects is collecting stuffed animals for children.
Sheltered Reality works with the Iowa Jaycees to provide something for
less fortunate children to cuddle in difficult situations.
In addition to the time and effort
involved in lessons, rehearsal and performance, every member of
Sheltered Reality must be willing to serve their own communities.
"They need to have a passion to use
music to deliver a message, and to take on mission projects," says
Schlosser. "They need to make a commitment to make a difference."
For Sunday's concerts in LeClaire
and Eldridge, the group will collect these items for the Miracles Can
Happen Boys' Ranch in Wilton: Laundry detergent, paper products, garden
tools, leather gloves, plastic bowls, scissors and a vacuum cleaner.
Monetary donations also are welcome.
Sheltered Reality will perform at
Faith Lutheran Church, 500 W. LeClaire Road, Eldridge, during the 9
a.m. service this Sunday, Nov. 21. At 1 p.m., they will present a
concert at Our Savior Presbyterian Church, 22530 240th Ave., LeClaire.
The percussionists will return to local stages Dec. 8, when they will
perform at Cody and Bridgeview elementary schools in LeClaire.
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