About 150 students will sing at Cape Choral Festival

About 150 students in the Cape Girardeau School District will perform at the second Cape Choral Festival at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Kinder Performance Hall.

The fourth- through sixth-graders from Alma Schrader, Franklin, Blanchard, Jefferson and Clippard elementaries and Central Middle School will sing six songs, including "Give My Regards to George M. Cohen," "Thankful," "It's Ruff Being a Dog," "The Beautiful Rain," "Dry Bones" and "Ala! Kumbe!"

The free event is sponsored by local businesses and is paid for in part by a $1,750 grant from the Cape Girardeau Public Schools Foundation.

Roanne Dean, a music teacher at Blanchard Elementary who organized the event, said a music teacher from each school will direct one song, and Jordan Cox, director of choirs and department chair at Cape Central High School, will be the emcee.

The schools have rehearsed separately. But for five hours Thursday, they will come together at the high school to rehearse before the festival.

"Our main reason for doing the festival is because all our fourth-graders are going to be in middle school next year, and they're going to be working together," Dean said. "So this is a way to introduce them to other kids in the district and introduce them to the middle-school teacher."

It's also a way for the teachers from different schools to work together to get students involved in the choir program, she said.

"It is a collaborative effort," Dean said. "Even though I'm the point person this year, the grant was put together by all the elementary teachers, and we're all actively involved in planning."

Each school is bringing a number of students, depending on class size, Dean said, adding Blanchard is bringing 15 fourth-graders and the middle school is bringing 60 students.

The music was ordered after the grant was awarded in October, and students began practicing in January.

"And with snow weeks thrown in there, these students have been really, really busy rehearsing," Dean said.

The students are given snacks and dinner as they practice for the festival Thursday, and they also will receive a free T-shirt. The food and shirts are paid for by local donations, Dean said, because they are not covered with the grant.

"A lot of kids who were in it in the fourth grade are now in it in middle school, and they're really looking forward to it," she said. "On Friday, my kids wear those T-shirts to school, and they're so proud."

klamb@semissourian.com

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1000 S. Silver Springs Road, Cape Girardeau, Mo.