The toddlers at Kaleidoscope benefit from their introduction to music by Sharon Abreu. Photo courtesy of Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival.
Chamber Music Festival Springs Forward With Music Education
From the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival
The Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival brings new voices to the four Orcas preschools this Spring, introducing two talented musicians and singers.
Sharon Abreu, teaching at Kaleidoscope and Children’s House, and Anita Orne, teaching at Salmonberry and Montessori, are the enthusiastic “Pied Pipers” who are leading the young ones in familiar songs once a week.
Sharon, an acclaimed classical soprano, and Anita, of the popular fiddle trio JP and the OK Rhythm Boys, are teaching such classics as “Old MacDonald,” “This Land is Your Land,” “Row Row Row Your Boat,” and “You Are My Sunshine.” The children also learned the meaning of the word Encore! after they asked Sharon to play “Winter” from Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons one more time!
This shared group of songs and lessons in musical language is aimed at providing a continuity of music experience for our young people. The Chamber Music Festival introduced the Pied Piper program to Orcas preschools several years ago, bringing talented community musicians to show how their instruments look, sound and bring joy. The Chamber Music Festival’s preschool music education program is sponsored by Sara Jane Johnson. Visit www.oicmf.org for a complete list of upcoming events and concerts, or call the OICMF office 376-6636.
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Bravo to all who worked on, and sponsored, this project. Well done and thanks.