Indian Land Elementary School kindergarten and first-grade students, recently offered a memorable performance of a musical called "Go Fish."
While the performers were small in stature, they were grand in effort. Susan Morrison, kindergarten through fifth-grade music teacher at the school, directed the "Go Fish" performers through a five-act show.
"Go Fish" had speaking sharks of all varieties, as well as magnificent angel, tuna, blow and clown fish -- just to name a few. An electric eel engaged several actors, as did crabs that gingerly passed through the sand at the base of the imagined waters.
"Oceans of Fun" deployed the entire cast of musicians at the beginning and end of the show. The place was swimming in a magnificent array of costumes and colors. Cowboy hats, chiffon scarves and visors complete with fish eyes helped tell the story.
The matinee was followed by an evening performance on April 24.
`Palmetto Pride'
Morrison also directed Indian Land Elementary's third through fifth-grade classes in a patriotic musical performance May 8 called "Palmetto Pride." Songs about South Carolina and the U.S. filled the program.Morrison explained that performers in third grade learned S.C. history, rendering "Carolina in the Morning" an appropriate choice for their enthusiastic "Nothing Could be Finer" selection.
Posters and poems focused on Palmetto and pride. "My Home's Across the Blue Ridge Mountains" emphasized the point. "50 Nifty United States" confirmed that students could belt out a song -- and knew their states.
Everyone joined in the grand finale. The house rocked to Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land." It was an awesome experience as confirmed by the reaction of the audience.
Morrison graduated with a bachelor's degree in music from USC Columbia and has a master's in education from Columbia College. She has been teaching at Indian Land Elementary eight years.
"We began practicing for this concert back in February since they only get to come to music every six days for 35 minutes," she said.
Morrison practiced with individual classes until the week of the concert. Then, "We practice with each entire grade level in the gym," she said.
"We are slowly outgrowing the gym with the number of students we now have," Morrison said. This year, because of space constraints, the second grade did not perform for this concert because they performed in the Christmas musical. "We do have fun and make do with what we have," Morrison said.
Morrison also directs the 55-student Honor Choir made up of fourth- and fifth-graders. Students audition to be in that group, which meets after school. They sing at the Carowinds Music Festival each year.
Morrison is also music director at First Baptist Church of Great Falls. She lives in Lancaster with her husband and two children.
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If you have news or information to share, contact Beverly Lorenz by e-mail at suncitybev@comporium.net. Beverly Lorenz
