Carlos Alcalá: A field trip that struck a chord

Kids of note: Normally, these musicians perform in school cafeterias. They are kids, after all, in the sixth, seventh and eighth grade in North Sacramento schools. Last week, however, they played on a stage that has hosted the likes of Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma and the San Francisco Symphony. "This is like an amazing thing for our children," said Renee Scott-Femenella, principal of Northwood School. It isn't just the venue. It's getting out of the community at all, a rarity for some in a district dominated by low-income families, said Sherilene Chycoski, who heads the district's music programs. Through a connection to Pete Nowlen, director of the UC Davis University Concert Band, the kids, more than 100 of them, were invited to play along and appear on the program. They were impressed. "This is huge," said Elijahwan Abdul-Rahman, a sixth-grader at Hazel Strauch Elementary, gaping at the cavernous Jackson Hall at Mondavi. They sat for a short rehearsal alongside a few of the Davis band members. "It's really nice to see that many kids still play music," said Adi Hamou, a third-year Davis student and sax player. The North Sac program has been threatened with budget cuts many times, but Chycoski is optimistic that the new district (voted on last month) will not only preserve it, but perhaps bring a stronger program stretching through high school. And, given the Mondavi exposure, perhaps even beyond that. Zoey Sells, another Strauch student, sat in the hall before the performance and marveled. "I am so going to play in college."…

Committee composition: Chycoski is a musical-sounding name. It sounds like Tchaikovsky and, for the North Sacramento music administrator, it comes with a funny story. When she was getting her doctorate in Southern California, Chycoski was on a music executive committee with … Wagner and Bach. That's a musical staff. …

New-see-ums: Have you spotted the little monkey tree? It's a small tree in an alley parking lot off 21st Street in midtown and was festooned with stuffed monkeys of many colors. For some reason, it's reminiscent of the kids' classic, "Caps for Sale." … How about the huge "Indian" statue on the porch of a midtown bungalow on 24th Street near W Street? Its base bears the quote, "We were free, until we stopped fighting, now no one has freedom. Chief Tawonka." But there is no evidence there ever was a chief who said that, unless maybe it was the chief of the Cigarettes Cheaper company, a noted Libertarian. The fiberglass statue, by the way, is marked Made in China for Cigarettes Cheaper. … Peet's Coffee, expanding rapidly in this area, seems to be going right at Starbucks. An outlet in midtown's MARRS building is just across the tracks from Starbucks, and a new Peet's farther out J Street is also going in right by one of the green coffee places. Whatever. We still favor the independent coffee houses. …

We're an egg-ception: We've noted that raising poultry is not permitted in most parts of Sacramento, the city. People do it, but we figured it was natural to ban farm animals in the city. Not so, according to Katy Skinner, who runs thecitychicken.com, a Web site. "In general, I think chickens are pretty harmless," Skinner said. Many, many other cities do allow hen husbandry. New York, Los Angeles, San Jose and Roseville are among the urbs of a feather. Could it be time to scratch out that part of Sacramento's city code? And those of you in the county, where chickens can be raised – brother, can you spare any fresh eggs?

About the writer:

• Call The Bee's Carlos Alcalá at (916) 321-1987. Back columns, www.sacbee.com/alcala.