Butterflies are free

. . . . by Doug Higgs

Moments become magic when imaginations are nourished

It was unexpected and inspirational.

A group of kindergarten students at Peterson Elementary School were acting out a story about the life cycle of butterflies when the school’s band teacher, Clyde Wilson, entered the room.

“When he saw what we were doing, he took out his clarinet and accompanied our butterfly story. It was an absolutely magical moment for all of us as the elements of music, story and dance came together,” said Lois Lents.

Lents and other members of Northwest Youth Theatre, are at the school over a three-week period to involve the kindergarten students in a residency program of music and creative drama.

And the kids are having a uniquely exciting time with the unanticipated opportunity to show off their acting and musical talents through the guidance of Lents and other youth theatre members.

They get to be away from books and all that stuff for awhile and be involved in singing, games, bean bag activities, storytelling and acting.

Parents and family friends are invited to attend the class of Frances Poetsch from 8:30 to 9: a.m., the class of Geralyn Smith from 9 to 9:30 a.m., and the afternoon class from 12:15 to 12:45, all on Thursday, Feb. 21.

At those times, the children will demonstrate the progress they made in learning to become enthusiastic entertainers.

Lents said, “It’s a very intensive and dynamic experience because we only work with one class at a time and we only see them for half an hour each day.

“We write quite a bit of our own material so that it exactly meets the needs of the residency situation. By writing original music and scripts, we can assure that there are lots of exciting roles for all of the participants.

“A concerted effort is made to avoid plays that make ‘stars’ out of only a few students. Above all, these residency programs have to be about he students and their accomplishments,” she said.

“Working with children in the schools is unquestionably one of the highlights of my professional life. There is simply no better feeling than being part of an event that results in children being able to explore the world of performing arts,” she said.

Creative drama helps children develop self-expression skills and self-confidence as well as enhancing their appreciation of music and the arts,” she added.

Members of Northwest Youth Theatre will be back at the school in April to produce a new play titled “The Land of Many Colors” with students in the first and second grades.

It will also be holding residency programs at Malin and Ferguson elementary schools later in the current school year.

This is reprinted with permission of the

Herald and News, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

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