WEST MICHIGAN SYMPHONY AND MUSKEGON AREA DISTRICT LIBRARIES COLLABORATE TO OFFER LIVE MUSIC PERFORMANCES TO AREA CHILDREN

Unique Click Clack Moosic for children will be presented at nine district branches

MUSKEGON, MI, June 2, 2023—Children love stories , and they love music. Put the two together and it’s sure fire magic. West Michigan Symphony’s (WMS) Click Clack Moosicdoes just that as it introduces children to various orchestral instruments and basic musical concepts—tempo, dynamics, rhythm and groove—in a storybook format. This summer, WMS and Muskegon Area District Library (MADL) will collaborate to offer Click Clack Moosic free to children at nine branches.  Sponsored by PNC Bank, the series of mini-performances for families will take place during the daytime between 10:30am and 3pm from Monday, July 24 through Wednesday, July 26. 

The small ensemble of WMS musicians will perform at all nine branches—including those in Egelston, Dalton, Holton, Montague, Muskegon Heights, Muskegon Township, North Muskegon, Norton Shores and Ravenna. A narrator introduces the children to musical concepts—such as tempo and pitch—and gives them the opportunity to demonstrate them interactively. Finally, she reads aloud Click Clack Moo: Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin, while the musicians play incidental music written for the series. 

WMS Director of Education Karen Vander Zanden wrote the script and curriculum based on Doreen Cronin’s series of children’s books and with her permission. WMS commissioned the music from Los Angeles-based composer Phil Popham, a former member of the orchestra.

Click Clack Moosic is part of a multi-faceted music education program that reaches deeply into the community and enriches the lives of children and young people through exploration, participation and performance.  WMS is a professional orchestra with an annual core series of eight subscription concerts held in Muskegon’s historic Frauenthal Center. WMS also operates The Block, a downtown music listening room presenting 15 annual performances of classical, crossover and jazz.

Muskegon Area District Library supports an engaging range of Summer Reading programs for everyone from birth to 111.  More information on summer programs can be found at madl.org/calendar.  MADL connects a diverse community to resources and services that educate, inform, enrich and entertain. They are recognized as a primary resource for literacy and learning; a gathering place for families, cultural and civic life; and a contributor to the community’s economic development.

Schedule:

Monday, July 24
10:30 am Montague Branch, 8778 Ferry St,

1:00 pm Holton Branch: 8776 Holton-Duck Lake, Holton

3:00 pm Dalton Branch: 3175 Fifth St,Dalton

Tuesday, July 25

10:30 am Ravenna Branch: 12278 Stafford St, Ravenna

1:00 pm Egelston Branch: 5428 E. Apple Ave., Egelston Twp

3:00 pm Muskegon Heights Branch 2808 Sanford, Muskegon Heights

Wednesday, July 26

10:30 am North Muskegon Branch: 1522 Ruddiman Dr, North Muskegon

1:00 pm Muskegon Township Branch: 1910 E Apple Ave, Muskegon Township

3:00 pm Norton Shores Branch: 705 Seminole Rd, Norton Shores