Nov 5, 2014 3 min read

CARMICHAELS – At a time when arts in public schools are cut when budgets are tight, the Musical Mikes choral group at Carmichaels Area Elementary Center continues to draw support from parents, students and the public.

Each year, dozens of fourth- through sixth-grade students join the group, giving up after-school hours to participate.

Carmichaels Area High School sophomore Paige Armstrong is in her seventh year of singing and is currently in the high school chorus and ladies ensemble. Armstrong began with Musical Mikes as a fourth-grader, and, a year later, current Musical Mikes director Erin Drury came on board.

Armstrong said it was Drury who influenced her decision to pursue a specified field in musical education when she graduates in 2016.

“I want to be an ethnomusicologist (one who investigates music in its cultural context),” she said. “You travel around the world to different countries and learn about the music and culture there and then write about it and give presentations on how it relates to the world. You educate people about the different cultures.”

Armstrong said it was Drury who introduced her to different types of music from around the world. That, combined with her love of singing, made her decision to choose music as her future quite simple, according to Armstrong’s mother, Judy.

Judy Armstrong is currently on her second round as a Musical Mikes’ mom. Her younger daughter, Peyton, is in her final year as a sixth-grader.

“My kids love it. Both of my girls love to sing,” she said. “They learned the fundamentals from Ms. Drury, singing in two-part and three-part harmony.”

Sixth-graders Brandon Loeb and Elizabeth Rockwell are among those who will make the transition to junior high next year. Rockwell, who transferred into the district this year, said she participated in chorus at her old school for two years and liked it, but said Musical Mikes is special.

“You get to do a lot more stuff here,” she said, noting the various opportunities to perform with the group locally and regionally.

Loeb said his mother wanted him to find a club or something to participate in when he entered the fourth grade.

“I knew about the Musical Mikes and thought, ‘Why not?,'” Loeb said. “Over the three years (as a member), I’ve learned to love it.”

With 70 children participating, one would expect chaos, especially when they are being directed to do different parts at the same time. But when Drury signals it is time for a song, all eyes are on her.

With a hectic schedule approaching, the group is working on eight songs for concerts. “Let It Go,” from the movie “Frozen,” is the favorite of fourth-grader Alix Morris and many others.

First up for the group is singing the National Anthem at the WVU women’s basketball game at 7 p.m. Nov. 15. On Dec. 6, the Musical Mikes will perform at the annual Carmichaels Area Chamber of Commerce tree lighting ceremony in the town square, and the students will perform at 12:30 and 1:30 p.m. Dec. 7, during the annual Musical Mikes Holiday Craft Show in the Carmichaels Area Elementary gymnasium.