The Hipwaders Wow the Children at BAHIA in Berkeley
Posted by: mhubler
on Aug 09, 2012 
A story about a Bread & Roses institutional show on July 31, 2012 by Aidan Nelson
Rock and roll for kids isn’t a common thing to hear, but they loved it and so did the adults. With so much pizzazz, this group was exhilarating to watch. Virginia Turner, Centro Vida’s site director, came up to me before the show even started and said, “The children are always mesmerized every time Bread and Roses comes.”
However, as the show began you could tell this concert was something even beyond the standards that they were used to, especially for the kids. In the beginning, the children were in small banana boxes; the Hipwaders joked that it was their first show classy enough for box seats. However, as the show continued, the children got out of their boxes and began to jump and dance and sing. Some began to drum on their banana boxes and one blonde boy even cut out a microphone out of cardboard to sing along. These children’s faces lit up exuberantly and were instantly filled with immense satisfaction. They loved it.
For many of these kids, concerts aren’t a luxury they can afford. Most coming from poverty, these young children relished the opportunity to experience something foreign and something electrifying. Most of us in our world take live music for granted. But Bread and Roses brings that gratifying experience to those who otherwise can’t encounter it.
Once the program came to a close, Virginia expressed her vast gratitude to Bread & Roses for spending the time to put on such a fantastic concert. The happiness and appreciation the show created at Centro Vida was a spectacular sight to see and one I certainly won’t forget. I’m greatly looking forward to visiting Centro Vida again to see another amazing show.
Aidan Nelson is a 17-year-old student who will be a junior at Marin Academy this fall. As a songwriter who plays both guitar and piano, his passion for music led him to a summer internship at Bread & Roses where he has hosted a number of our institutional programs.
(From top to bottom) The children at The Hipwaders concert at BAHIA; Boys in "box seats" at BAHIA enjoy the concert; Girls in the audience dance to the music at Centro Vida. Photos by Lisa Starbird, Courtesy of Bread & Roses
WE'D LOVE TO KNOW, TELL US ABOUT A WOW MOMENT YOU'VE HAD AT A LIVE MUSIC SHOW!
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Hello Lauren. I have to share with you that children, teachers and some
parents really enjoyed the group. This is an opportunity that just a few of
our children have in their lives, since their parents are low income and
have no time to expose these children to live music and these kind of
events. I really appreciate this contribution to our program and happy
moments that we have had with Bread and Roses. THANK YOU very much.
I would like to take this opportunity to let you know that one of the
musicians left his tripod. I have it in my office in case they want to come
and pick it up.
Best Regards,
Virginia Turner
