It was standing room only at Bell Elementary Thursday evening, February 24. The audience packed the house in enthusiastic anticipation of the start of the Black History Month musical celebration.
All second and third-grade students would take the stage to showcase music solely by African American singer-songwriters, from the well-known (Pharrell Williams, Marvin Gaye) to those forgotten to time and overshadowed by later recordings (Solomon Linda, Ivy Hunter). Second-grade students showed off their singing and piano skills, while third-graders played ukulele and sang.
Music teacher Lindsey Boone opened with a supportive speech sharing wisdom with her students to relax and enjoy. They have practiced and were well-prepared for their performances. She proceeded to mess up on each instrument on stage and sing off-key so her students wouldn't be the first to make a mistake. If they did, SHE had already been the first, so there was no need to burden their minds. Family members cheered her supportive words to their children.
The audience would cheer again with students themselves loudly and wildly at the show's close due to a planned surprise, the last song by Ms. Boone and her fellow Bell Elementary teaching staff. They chose a number from the movie Soul. "It's All Right" encouraged audience participation to clap and sing along.
