That’s Entertainment!
Prepare to be amazed, but mostly thoroughly entertained when Chemainus Elementary School students bring their musical talents to the public for a fundraising performance Sunday, April 22 at 2 p.m. at the Chemainus Legion, 9775 Chemainus Rd.
“They’re very, very talented kids and it’s a great place to showcase how incredibly talented they are,” said intermediate music teacher Anna Steininger.
“This is the first time we’ve ever done anything like this.”
“What is cool about this is the idea has come from one of the Grade 7 students,” added principal Brenda Stevenson.
Kaleb Elley thought it would be a great experience for the school’s Treble Makers and Rock Band to perform for the public as a fundraiser for the school. No one could disagree and the plan to stage a show was put into action.
“That’s what you do when kids come up with great ideas, you encourage it,” said Stevenson.
“It’s a fundraiser to send the Grade 7s to Horne Lake for a camping trip,” Steininger indicated.
The program will feature music served with tea, coffee and dessert. Tickets are $15 per person or $25 for a family of up to four members and available for purchase at the school, Owl’s Nest Bistro, Willow Street Cafe, Riot Brewing Co. and Beyond the Usual.
The Treble Makers are in their second year and placed in the top 10 in Canada against other schools in their category during the CBC Music Class Challenge.
“When everyone’s here we have about 45 students in Grades 5 to 7,” Steininger pointed out.
The group practices once a week during school time on Wednesday afternoons. The instrumentation consists of percussion, piano, guitar and ukulele.
“It’s going to feature a wide variety of genres,” noted Steininger. “There’s classic rock and ‘70s style disco.”
They play a variety of other rock songs from the ’80s and ’90s.
The Rock Band is in its first year and about 15 kids are involved with it, meeting after school.
“We didn’t have a clever name for it,” said Steininger. “We just started this at the beginning of March.”
The students absolutely love being part of the groups.
“There’s a variety of levels in there,” noted Steininger.
“It’s not about being the best. It’s about your love of music.”
She expects to be calling extra practices closer to showtime.
“They’re very enthusiastic, very energetic, very creative and dedicated, too,” pointed out Steininger, who’s been at the school since 2012 and has a background in strings.
“I’m really pleased how passionate the kids are,” she added.
The performance still includes other students who aren’t necessarily musically-inclined. Other Grade 7s will be there to host the event by serving and cleaning up.
There’ll be a sneak peek of the performance for the soup and sandwich lunch entertainment on Wednesday, April 18 at the Chemainus 55+ Activity Centre on Willow Street.