Spiderlodge Music School has been fine-tuning students and their musical talents for years, and this year they’re celebrating their 10th annual Spiderlodge Music Festival.
The small, private music school is run by instructors Rick Genge (base, guitar, ukulele) and Lori Paul (vocals).
The students who will be performing at the festival on Saturday, June 24 range in age from five to adults, and will be performing songs in vocals and strings. There will be 28 songs by 27 different performers over two sets.
“Some will be performing for the first time, some are here for their second, third or fourth year with us,” says Paul.
There will be pop, rock, country, and gospel.
“This is why we do the recital every year: first, it’s good for students to have the opportunity to perform for people in a setting where it’s encouraging — they know that it’s family and friends,” says Paul. “And we wanted kids to have that chance, because although some children have music programs at their school or at their church, that is now becoming less and less the case.”
She says music programs, and arts programs in general, in schools are petering out due to financial costs. This particularly hurts children who cannot afford private lessons, she adds.
“Our argument is that music is essential for education,” says Paul.
Paul and Genge are wanting to share the importance and benefits of music with Chilliwack on Saturday.
That evening, awards will also be handed out to a handful of students.
The 10th annual Spiderlodge Music Festival is set for Saturday, June 24 at 7 p.m. the Chilliwack Cultural Centre in the Rotary Hall Studio Theatre.
Tickets are $15 and kids seven and under get in for free. Tickets available at the Cultural Centre Box Office, online at chilliwackculturalcentre.ca, or by phone at 604-391-SHOW (7469).
