An experience in the arts

View larger image Libby Raymond, 7, moves to the music in a dance class organized by Shenandoah University arts management students as part of their Production and Project Management Course during the InterArts event in Winchester on Saturday. The university students offered free interactive arts education for regional elementary students in dance, music and theatre. Andrew Thayer/Daily View larger image Ivette Farciert-Vivar, a SU student, shows Alexandria Fredieu, 9, how to play a steady rhythm on a drum while in a drum circle in a music therapy class that was organized by Shenandoah University arts management students as part of their Production and Project Management Course during the InterArts event in Winchester on Saturday. The university students offered free interactive arts education for regional elementary students in dance, music and theatre. Andrew Thayer/Daily

SU program exposes kids to dance, music

By Sally Voth -- svoth@nvdaily.com

WINCHESTER -- It was probably the best rendition of "Happy Birthday" Rachel Clark's ever going to receive.

Shenandoah Conservatory musical theater students serenaded her during Saturday's InterArts program.

Spending the day participating in the arts immersion program was an 11th birthday gift from her mother, Clark said.

"I really like it here," the Winchester resident said.

Saturday's free event was a new program, said Colleen Cook, a graduate student studying arts management.

"What we wanted to do was offer an outreach for the conservatory to the Winchester region to focus on giving elementary kids an opportunity to experience different things in the arts that they wouldn't normally get to do in the regular classroom," she said.

The conservatory's service organizations were invited to teach a class to kids in grades 2-6.

"Throughout the day, they're each going to a 40-minute class on dance, or drama, music, art, recording technology, singing," Cook said.

Amelia Lunceford, 7, of Winchester, took a break from a music therapy drum circle to talk about what she'd experienced.

"We've been playing music and learning about it," she said. "Earlier this morning, we saw ballerinas dance. It was cool."

Emilia Van Hoy, 7, of Winchester, agreed, but said, "it made my feet raw."

They were learning to dance the Cupid Shuffle, Cook said.

Jimmy Collinson, a vocal performance student and member of the Student National Association for Teachers of Singing, was teaching the youngsters about solfege, the syllables which are the building blocks of songs.

"It's been going great," he said. "The fifth and sixth graders picked up very quickly."

In an interactive class led by Collinson, students were asked to talk about what they were able to glean from samples he played from Broadway, opera and the "The Sound of Music." All seemed familiar with the latter's "Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do," which is solfege, and began singing along on their own.

Collinson said they were the first group to spontaneously start singing "Do-Re-Mi."
"And, they're the youngest ones at InterArts today," Cook said.

Collinson taught them about maintaining proper posture and breathing when it comes to singing.

Shelby Frank, 11, of Winchester, was in Clark's group.

"I really liked the dancing," she said. "I just thought it was really pretty."

All of the participants in Saturday's event were given free tickets to the senior dance concert Saturday night, said Traci Bonds, a senior arts ˚management major with a focus in dance. The inaugural InterArts went smoothly, she said.

"I think the kids are really enjoying the classes," Bonds said. "With the decline in programming in public education, it's really important that we give kids at a young age experience to the arts...so they know it's a valuable form of society that we need to continue.

"It's been awesome. They always are so creative, and they definitely speak their minds."