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36 Thursday, October 10, 2024 BATTLE CREEK SHOPPER NEWS http://www.thebattlecreekshopper.com

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The Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra performed selections from its weekend

Fantastic Beats concert that included tunes from Harry Potter and 2001: A

Space Odyssey, among others, for the students Thursday morning. (Shopper

News photo by Shelly Kehrle-Sulser)

“We couldn’t get the funding last

year,” said Balbaugh about the spe-

cial presentation. “We want to do it

annually but it’s very expensive. It’s

probably close to $20,000 for today.”

Balbaugh explained that the expo-

sure to live, professional music is

one of the most important roles of

the The Music Center which is all

about music education.

“Our mission is building commu-

nity through music,” she explained.

“We never know which seeds we’ve

planted today are going to take root.

Not only do the kids have fun, but

some of these kids will go on to join

band or take up an instrument or

maybe even make a career out of it.”

Maestra Anne Harrigan as well as

violinist/Maestra Sophie Petroski

got into music and have careers in

music, said Balbaugh, because of a

childhood music experience like the

one they staged Thursday in Battle

Creek.

“So, it’s really important to do

these,” she said, adding that the chil-

dren’s concert is shortened version

of the full weekend production. “We

take that concert, we curate it to a

45-minute concert for the kids, that’s

a little bit more manageable for

them, we pick out the best parts we

think will be of interest to them.”

The teachers also receive a handout

to work into their curriculum that

prepares the students for the con-

certs.

“And, they can listen to the music

in advance,” she said, “and talk

about the composers, that kind of

thing. It comes actually part of

the school curriculum, which is a

requirement, anything you do in the

State of Michigan in the schools.”

Schools in attendance were from

the districts of Lakeview, Arbor

Academy, Harper Creek and Battle

Creek public.

BEATS

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