The Inter-Mountain photo The Augusta Heritage Center will launch a pair of youth music programs this month. Augusta Artistic Director Emily Miller recently visited a local elementary school and sung songs with the students during an assembly.

ELKINS — The Augusta Heritage Center recently announced that it will be launching a pair of youth music programs this month.

The first program will be “Voices of Augusta” and involves creating a children’s choir for elementary-age children. Participants will be split into two groups, grades 1 through 3, and grades 4 through 6.

The children’s choir will be under the direction of Olivia Perske and Katlin Exline. Rehearsals for “Voices of Augusta” will be on Tuesdays and are scheduled for Feb. 21 through May 16.

The sessions for first- to third-grade students will be from 4:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m., while fourth- to sixth-grade participants will be from 5:30 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.

“Olivia and Katlin are two outstanding elementary music teachers here in Randolph County,” Augusta Heritage Center Executive Director Seth Young told The Inter-Mountain. “They both have engaged with Augusta’s programming and both of them have performed in our adult choir.

“They were very energized to start a children’s and youth choir when we first started meeting with them, so we decided that we would collaborate together to create a very unique program for area children.”

All of the choir rehearsals will take place on the campus of Davis & Elkins College at the Myles Center for the Arts. D&E and the Benedum Foundation are providing support for both of the programs.

The second program — known as the “Augusta Strings Program” — features fiddle instruction and coordination by West Virginia State Fiddle Champion Tessa Dillon, banjo instruction from Kevin Chesser, and guitar instruction by Jesse Milnes, who has toured professionally and is described by Young as “an incredible musician.”

Chesser is known as a very gifted teacher, especially when it comes to instructing those who have never picked up a string instrument before.

“We are thrilled to offer these programs to the young people of our community,” Young said. “By launching these new youth music programs, we are providing young people with the opportunity to learn, grow, and connect, all while being exposed to the rich culture of West Virginia and beyond. These programs will have a positive impact on the lives of young people and the community as a whole.”

Rehearsals for the Augusta Strings Program, which is open for students grades 4 through 12, will begin Feb. 23. The rehearsal sessions will be on Thursdays through May 18, from 5:45 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. at the Old Brick Playhouse.

“I know what a deep impact singing and playing instruments has had on my life,” said Augusta Heritage Center Artistic Director Emily Miller. “Music has provided me with international cultural connections, educational scholarships, and employment opportunities throughout my life. I’m delighted that children in our community, including my own, will have these new arts enrichment opportunities after school.”

The Augusta Heritage Center is dedicated to ensuring that the new music programs are accessible to all young people, regardless of their background or financial situation, officials said. Scholarships are available for both programs and there are a limited number of instruments for loan on a first-come-first-served basis.

“This is the first time that we will have a year-round after school program offered through the Augusta Heritage Center,” Young said. “It’s going to be a wonderful after-school enrichment activity and a way to keep kids connected and engaged all year long.”

At the end of the sessions, all of the groups will combine for a concert at Harper NcNeely Auditorium on May 18.

“We are going to have a culminating event at Harper McNeely where the students from the Augusta Strings Program will accompany the Voices of Augusta,” Young said. “They are going to be working on some of the same material so that they can come together at the end of the spring session for this concert.”

For more information about the youth music programs, or to enroll, visit AugustaArtsandCulture.org.