HOUSTON – Violinist with the Houston Symphony, proud Cuban, and music educator, Rainel Joubert wears many hats.
On Tuesday, he’s representing the Community-Embedded Musicians program through the symphony. In fact, it’s the program that brought him to Houston.
“Everybody knew about it because it was innovative and unique. No other orchestra was doing it,” Joubert said. “What we do is just develop in kids and everybody else that we encounter higher and critical thinking when it comes to music.”
One of the places where he performs is Camp Adventure.
"Camp Adventure is an opportunity for kids to, for their minds to be engaged over the summer months,” Kime Smith said.
The two-week program is for children who will be entering kindergaten through fifth grade in the fall.
About 200 elementary school students are going through Camp Adventure at Bastian Elementary School. It's a two-week long summer day camp that is free for its participants, thanks in part to the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation.
During their time at camp, the children participate in interactive reading, writing, speaking and critical thinking activities.
There is also another language element to the camp: The language of music. The Houston Symphony is bringing its own program, Community-Embedded Musicians, to the campers.
“We want to expose them to all different forms of literacy, and there is literacy available through music as well and so that’s what the community-embedded musicians are here for,” Smith said. “So as they’re learning about music, they’re learning where particular music comes from or about instruments and learning how to spell those words as well.”
The Houston Symphony is doing something pretty cool! They've taken a bunch of their musicians and embedded them in a Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation summer camp. I'm with a group of K - 2nd graders who are learning about music. Step into the classroom with me :)
Posted by FOX 13's Chip Brewster on Tuesday, August 1, 2017
The initiative began in 2015 with the purpose of increasing the level of music education to the Greater Houston area.
At Camp Adventure Joubert worked with a group of kindergartners to develop what he called their "skills in phonological awareness, speech-in-noise perception, rhythm perception, auditory working memory and recognition of sound patterns."
WATCH: Elementary students go to camp free thanks to Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation
When asked if she liked the class, Hayden Zaval said, “Because it’s about singing and I love singing."
Hayden may just be in kindergarten, but she will likely have a lifelong love of music.
How can one tell? Sure, there’s her enthusiasm during class, and there's her current plan for the future.
“Because I want to 'cause when I grow up I’m going to be a, um, I’m going to be a ballerina,” Hayden said.
“Music makes a huge difference when it’s applied at an early age,” Zayal said.
“Nobody’s ever too young to be learning about music. I think it’s, in my experience it changed completely my life from the very beginning until now,” Joubert said.
That is the reason Joubert became a Community-Embedded Musician in the first place.
He wanted to make sure every child and person he encountered had the opportunity to experience music the way he wishes he had been able to as a child.
“I have a mission and I come here and talk to kids about, about whatever it is. I’m educating all the time with music,” Joubert said.
Oh, and just in case you’re as curious as we were about his own musical abilities, make sure to check out the end of the video.
Channel 2's Chip Brewster steps into the classroom and becomes a summer camper. Follow his journey on Facebook and Twitter.
After the Houston Symphony musician led class at Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation's Camp Adventure comes the interview with Rainel Joubert - the interview ends with one question followed by a #JawDrop. Good day for a story with KPRC2 / Click2Houston
Posted by FOX 13's Chip Brewster on Tuesday, August 1, 2017