Straddling his chair, 9-year-old Kurt tapped out the rhythm of the euphoric melody on his makeshift drums while Sandra, 9, pounded the air to keep the beat. Kat, 10, was wrapped up in conducting an orchestra.

A melancholic movement of a string quartet by Beethoven quickly replaced the upbeat piece. Kat mimed tears rolling down her face.

The three children and their classmates at the Newark Center for Creative Learning have been participating in the Delaware Chamber Music Festival's outreach project. The 10-week class, "Traveling Music: a Trip Through History," provides an opportunity to fine-tune children's ears to chamber music with a historical perspective.

The project has been funded by an MBNA Excellence in Education Grant.

Clinch, a festival board member and NCCL parent, instructs students once a week at the private Newark school.

"It's helping them to understand the music of the times," said Clinch, an oboist and Wilmington Music School instructor. "If they were alive at this time, this would be the music on the radio."

On Monday mornings, NCCL students from kindergarten through eighth grade find themselves transported on a lyrical journey. Clinch, a UD adjunct professor in music, conducts tours through the baroque, classic, romantic and contemporary periods.

"Tim has an ability to weave captivating facts to make the history of music come alive through his presentation," said teacher Marilynn Magnani.

Lectures include instrument construction and biographies of composers strung together with history lessons. Clinch plays a sampling of the composers' music and often brings a hand-made instrument for the children to examine.

"I like how he explains it." Kurt said, "So we can understand it."

Special guests, like hornist Cynthia Carr - Clinch's wife - have made appearances. Not only are the children exposed to different instruments, but they often catch an impromptu concert as well.NCCL, noted for its hands-on, integrative approach to learning, has incorporated music into its curriculum. Background music has always been played during art class, Kat said, but only since Clinch's arrival have the children paid serious attention to the melodies.

Although many of the children, like Kat and 9-year-old Gennie, are studying the piano, the experience has inspired Gennie to explore another instrument, like the violin.

The Delaware Chamber Music Festival has been providing the community with school concerts since 1994 and family concerts since 1998. Most recently, the group has made plans to act on an initiative by the Delaware Division of Arts to work with public schools to provide a program similar to the pilot program at NCCL.

"We need more audiences than players," Clinch said.

Magnani said teachers are never sure how new programs will turn out. Monday mornings with Clinch certainly don't have students and staff singing the blues.

"It's nice to learn stuff you didn't know before," Gennie said.