Concert part of Children's Arts Festival in Cape today

The annual Children's Arts Festival is trying to boost area elementary and middle school students' interest in music.

In addition to the art contest display at the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri's gallery, opening at 5 p.m. today, a concert featuring around 100 student choir singers and musicians in the fourth through sixth grades will be held at Southeast Missouri State University's Academic Hall auditorium at 6:30 p.m. The students are from Jackson Middle School, West Lane Elementary in Jackson and Central Middle School, St. Vincent's Elementary, Alma Schrader Elementary and Clippard Elementary in Cape Girardeau.

The Southeast Percussion Ensemble also will perform at the concert.

Melissa Miller, executive director of the arts council, said the concert was made possible this year by grants totaling $6,000 from The William T. Kemper Foundation and the Missouri Arts Council.

On Thursday, four music educators made rounds at participating schools to instruct students and rehearse for the concert. Miller, along with Pam Dumey, a music teacher at Central Middle School brought in two clinicians and a local university music professor to give students an opportunity to learn music in a way they don't get in their normal classroom experience, Miller said.

Adrienne Broyles, who works with the St. Louis Children's Choirs and the Parkway School District in St. Louis, visited schools with Dumey as a vocal instructor. Paul Corbiere, a composer and faculty member with World Music Drumming, and Dr. Shane Mizicko of Southeast Missouri State University came to instruct students in percussion. Both Broyles and Corbiere have worked with Dumey for children's music events in the past.

Corbiere, who has worked in many festivals, said for him the best aspect of the visit is that the children are well-behaved and enthusiastic.

"It's nice to work with kids that are ready to be worked with," he said.

For the concert, he wrote a song specifically for the children.

Broyles said she also enjoyed her visits to the students Thursday.

"It's been really wonderful. The kids are enthusiastic and well-prepared and really receptive. I've just been having a really good time with them," she said.

Dylan Kyle, a fifth-grade student at Central Middle School, said working with the clinicians and teachers has given him a chance to learn to play new percussion instruments, some of which he had never heard of.

Kyle said he likes challenges and that what he has been asked to play is a challenge to him.

"It's been fun, though, because I love music," he said.

Miller said, "We hope taking part in something like this will inspire the students to continue with music as they go through the rest of their education."

"In the elementary schools, the state does require a certain amount of music and art, but once they get into middle school and high school there are very few fine arts required, they are elective, so we hope by exposing them to this will inspire them to continue to study music throughout their lives."

The festival has been held for 10 years, but this is the first time a concert has been held.

She estimates more than 400 pieces of art were submitted for the annual contest. Art teachers from 22 area schools selected student work from third- through eighth-grade classes and submitted it to a jury panel at the arts council.

All of the winning entries have been collected and published in a book that will be distributed for free at the concert and during the reception tonight at the arts council gallery, Miller said.

Many of the works submitted will be on display in the gallery and in West Park Mall at Southeast Missouri Hospital's Wellness Connection until the end of March. The hospital is the sponsor for the visual art component of the festival.

The Arts Council Gallery will be open until 9 p.m. today for First Friday gallery events.