By Alicia Kelso
Three-year-old twins Michaela and Joy Kegler are aspiring violinists. They’ve both been leaning toward this career ambition since Jan. 31, when they attended the Tunes & Tales program, a collaborative effort of the Westerville Symphony at Otterbein College and the Westerville Public Library.
Tunes & Tales has been a hallmark of the partnership between the symphony and library for 21 years. The musicians play a score that dovetails a chosen book and at various breaks in the music, a library staff member reads (and has even sung) the accompanying page.
The popular program is geared toward children ages 3-9, but has been enjoyed by toddlers as well. There is no admission fee for the program, which lasts about an hour and repeats several times throughout the designated day.
Planning begins when library members develop a theme based on a popular children’s book – this year’s was Barn Dance! by Bill Martin, John Archambault, and Ted Rand. Others have included Peter and the Wolf, Green Eggs and Ham and The Story of Babar.
From there, symphony Maestro and Music Director Peter Stafford Wilson chooses complementary music. The Barn Dance! program featured many fiddle-heavy songs, for example. The library provided bandanas for participants to wear during the performance, and some were even spotted wearing cowboy boots and jeans.
“The kids really get into it. The combination of books and music is natural. This program provides an opportunity for kids to hear a story performed by professional musicians and tapping into those two senses really engages them more than if a story was just being read to them,” says Linda Uhler, manager of youth services at the library.
After the story has been told and the music has stopped playing, children are able to mingle with the musicians and even try out the instruments, which engages them even more.
“Those kids are always going to remember the book Barn Dance! because of this program and that’s one of our goals,” Uhler says.
An introduction to instruments is another positive attribute of the program.
“All kids have access to books, but most do not have a musician mother or father and don’t get the chance to be exposed to music at this kind of level,” says Betsy Gillespie, executive director of the Westerville Symphony.
The benefits extend beyond the children, however. Parents can appreciate the production because it is performed by high quality musicians, Gillespie says. And the musicians are using the opportunity to teach the next generation their craft.
“To see a kid in the front row who is maybe 18 months imitating (Wilson), or a kid pretending to play along with the violinists – that is best part about this program, and the musicians clearly enjoy it as well,” Uhler says.
Staff at both the library and symphony view the partnershop as rewarding for them, as well.
“We need to focus beyond giving concerts. That means, essentially, being linked as closely as possible to a community,” Gillespie says. “And this program is consistent with our mission, which is to produce high quality music and high quality education opportunities throughout the community.”
The mission works. More than 300 people routinely fill the library during Tunes & Tales and, this year, every copy of Barn Dance! was checked out immediately after the program.
Such success has not gone unnoticed. Uhler says many other libraries in the state have contacted her for information, in the hopes of starting up something similar. She believes it’s the only program in the area that partners a symphony with a library for a children’s program.
Moving forward, Uhler and Gillespie would like Tunes & Tales to include more imagery and be even more interactive, incorporating movement, clapping, call and response, etc.
“Adding more movement and more imagery fosters more interaction, which helps the kids learn more. The more they’re doing, touching, hearing, the more they’re going to remember,” Gillespie says.
Perhaps those additions will be included into next year’s Tunes & Tales, which already has a theme, Dinosaur Dance. It will feature original music composed by Rocky J. Reuter, Capital University’s assistant dean of the Conservatory of Music, and Uhler expects it to be more popular than ever.
“There are so many people here for this program that you can’t move. How awesome is that – to have so many families and kids here for a book?” Uhler says. “This program makes a lot of sense. It just feels right.”
Alicia Kelso is editor of Westerville Magazine.
For more information on the Tunes & Tales program, visit www.westervillelibrary.org. For more information about Westerville Symphony’s outreach programs, visit www.westervillesymphony.org.