HAMMOND Thirty children aged 5 to 7 are on a musical journey through the animal kingdom, learning everything from how to listen to how to perform in front of an audience.
The “Let’s Sing – a Carnival of Animals” is an eight-week program of the Books, Brushes and Bands 4 Education (BBB4E) Children’s Choir. Let’s Sing is an early elementary choral program that incorporates hands-on art, storytelling and small percussion for students from all over Northwest Indiana.
“I want my children to be exposed to the various aspects of music, and also to develop social skills,” said Jerry Arnold, of Hammond, as he dropped off his son Ian, 6 and daughter Emily, 4, at a recent session at Kenwood School. “Ian enjoyed this program so much last year, I decided to enroll his sister this year. They’re both doing really well.”
Arnold added that introducing children to music at a young age serves many purposes. “They’re learning teamwork and patience, among other things,” he said. “That’s important to look at during their early education.”
The youngsters meet once a week for eight weeks with Kenwood School music instructor Daniel Wolff.
“Tonight I am introducing two songs into a frog medley, and then we’ll be reading the book, Rumble in the Jungle,” Wolff said, at a recent session. “Kids can relate to these types of activities — they hold their interest.”
Let’s Sing began in the summer of 2012 as a one-week camp. It served as a pilot class that has gained popularity, according to Michelle Golden, BBB4E executive director. Her organization decided to continue to offer it during the school year, assigning different themes for each session.
“There are challenges involved for the students (during these sessions), such as really listening, increasing their attention span, memorization and performing in front of others,” she said. “These are skills that are needed in everyday life, very important for anyone to learn.”
The Carnival of Animals program culminates with a performance in the annual BBB4E Spring Concert scheduled for May 19 at Purdue University Calumet.
For more information on future sessions, call Books, Brushes & Bands 4 Education at (219) 932.3232, visit http://www.bbb4e.org
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