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Bringing music to children

The Inter-Mountain photo by Eliana McCutcheon Seth Young, executive director of the Augusta Heritage Center, and Emily Miller, artistic director, perform for the children attending the Montessori Early Learning Center in Elkins Tuesday morning.

ELKINS– The young children at the Montessori Early Learning Center enjoyed an interactive musical performance from the new directors of the Augusta Heritage Center of Davis & Elkins College Tuesday morning.

Seth Young, executive director of the Augusta Heritage Center, and Emily Miller, artistic director, both showed up bright and early to play some music for the youngsters.

“I am elated to have the new job. I have been coming up to August since I was 12 years old,” said Seth Young, the new executive director of the Augusta Heritage Center. “It has helped form me as a music educator and a teacher.

“So, when there was a chance for me to help the program that I held so dear, I just jumped at the opportunity because I think with me being able to extend that same high quality musical education offerings to the next generation is a really important job and it is one that I am excited about and also take very seriously.

“My favorite part of my job is being able to watch our students learn and watching them as they are exposed to either a new artist they haven’t heard of or an artists that they have just loved that they finally get to listen to or even jam with for the first time. It is just so rewarding to watch.”

Young explained the importance of the philosophy behind folk music and how it relates to teaching young children about the subject of music.

“When it comes to choosing the music for a lesson, only the best is good enough for children. It is my belief that folk music, particularly the folk music of their native Appalachia, is the best medium for teaching these young children about the subject of music,” Young said. “True folk music is not and cannot be written by a single person. Instead it is composed by an entire culture, and each song contains centuries of wisdom.”

“Even in our digital age folk music can only truly be passed down from one person to the next, face to face and in real time. This is why Emily and I will continue to work with these Montessori students. We have a vested interest in making sure our rich and vibrant Appalachian musical traditions remain alive and well for future generations to enjoy.

“Singing and moving cannot and must not be separated at this age,” he said. “That is why we’re going to study songs that are accompanied by a folk game. The games not only help children understand the joy of making music, but they also satiate the emotional and intellectual needs of that developmental stage. This can be the need to be a part of the group, the need to be chosen, and the need to do the choosing.

“In short, folk games teach children how to be children, and I for one think we need more of that in these times of handheld devices. There is no app for that.”

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