By Walter Hojka
April 28 saw the return of music to the stage at North Fork Elementary School. The school held a spring concert with the theme “Songs from Home.” Children from all grades participated and it marked the first time in over two years that the school held a music concert. Gatan Waddell, parent to one of the performers, said that it was his first time attending a school event since the beginning of the pandemic.
The program consisted of fourteen songs, two for each grade. Several pieces were either about West Virginia or written by West Virginia artists. One example was “Lean on Me,” written by West Virginia musician Bill Withers. Most of the pieces were performed as unison, unaccompanied singing.
Instruments appeared in three selections. The third grade played “Grandma Grunts” on recorders. The fourth grade played ukuleles on “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” The fourth grade also sang “Sourwood Mountain,” which featured a fiddle introduction played by Azalea Waddell.
The concert was under the direction of Kelsey Cardwell. Cardwell is in her first year as music teacher at North Fork and Brandywine Elementary Schools.
