Big Parts for Small Actors

FHS features elementary and middle schoolers in its production of the Music Man

Music+Man+will+premier+on+April+21st

Courtesy of Brandon Coon

Music Man will premier on April 21st

Kaya Paluda, Editor in Chief

Bringing the community together is something that Frederick loves to do and is a constant for us. The community came together to have children in the musical and to let younger kids who are interested in theater have a chance to star in the high school show “Music Man.” This has allowed both kids and high schoolers to come together and do what they love to make a show. Being able to bring the community together to have some fun is something that Frederick High loves to do and is always welcoming younger kids to learn more about something they are interested in. That makes having the children in the musical even more exciting. This has been able to bring everyone together and is a chance for everyone to make friends and have fun at the same time.

Mrs. Lorimer, who is helping run the show said, “My favorite part of this is watching the students succeed, my favorite part is watching them just grow and succeed.” Surely each and every one of them that were able to participate made the most of it and used it not only as a learning experience but they used it as a chance to make new friends and connect with others. “I hope they can take away making new friends, new skills, gaining confidence in themselves.” Mrs. Lorimer quoted.

The environment of being on that stage rehearsing was great. Even the vibe and feeling that was felt from sitting in the audience was amazing and you could truly tell that everyone wanted to make a difference and just have fun overall. Just being able to see the environment from rehearsals makes the anticipation of the show greater. “I really enjoy how much collaboration it takes to create this whole product. It takes a lot of teamwork and I think that’s what makes it so much fun.” Said Emma Patterson (6th grader from Mead Middle School) Collaboration sure was a big aspect of what a handful of the kids enjoy the most. 

What’s your favorite part about theater?

“I like how the cast gets together and how everyone comes together to sing and perform something which is very cool. The amazing people make me want to be in the theater because it’s like a second family,” Taziana DeJulio, a 5th grader from Prairie Ridge Elementary said. 

Getting involved with this event made many of the kids grateful. Most of them got involved and heard about this from either parents, siblings, or friends, like Emma Patterson’s “friend’s mom. I pretty much owe it all to her because she was the one who sent my mom the link to sign up one day and it’s something I’ve been wanting to do for years so that’s how I got into it.” Shiloh Wittler said, “This event is fun, just really fun. It’s really fun because everyone is just super musical and everyone just dances.” Being in the musical for the younger kids is something that a lot of them find very inspiring and also a learning experience for them to be able to watch High Schoolers where most of them have a lot of experience with theater and see how everything works and what they can make of it. 

It’s important that as a school we can bring in the community as much as possible. The Frederick community is strong and well known for being supportive and inclusive. So having children from the community in the school musical “Music Man” is a perfect way to fulfill and unite students from all around. If you’re interested in being able to watch this whole show come together make sure to attend the opening night of “Music Man” on April 21st.