The San Jacinto College North Campus Jazz Band and Wind Ensemble are staging a performance called the Kiddie Concert Thursday, April 17 at 10 a.m. in the Dr. Charles Grant Fine Arts Center.

The Kiddie Concert is an event for preschoolers to enjoy concert and jazz music, and also introduce them to instruments and basic music elements.

Randy Snyder is the Dept. Chair of Fine Arts and Education and the conductor of both groups. He said the Kiddie Concert came about, “as a means of an outreach to the area of preschoolers in the North Channel vicinity.”

According to Snyder, he believes in the old adage “college is possible,” and by getting young people on campus for pleasant things like concerts, he said it makes the college experience seem enjoyable.

“However, as college musical ensembles,” Snyder said. “it is incumbent for us ambassadors of the College to serve our surrounding community as representatives of what college can do and is about; to educate people and enrich lives.”

Furthermore, Snyder said children from outside the North Channel area can attend the Concert to enjoy all its benefits.

“The expectations are that the children will have a good time, and will be introduced to live music, and that concerts are enjoyable,” Snyder said. “We sent about 50 to 60 invitations to area child care centers all over the Northeast Harris County.”

In addition, Snyder said the concert will start with a thirty-minute wind ensemble filled with “marches, orchestral pieces that are splashy, fast and loud.”

“Any kid will be enthralled,” Snyder said. “Then we close with a 20 to 30 minute set of jazz band pieces that include blues, swing, rock, and funk music.”

San Jac student musician Charisma Black said audience members can look forward to an interesting surprise during the concert.

“My role is that I play the trumpet in both ensembles,” Black said, “There will be a special singer in the building, and that singer will be me.”

Fellow music student Jeremy Dergent, a saxophone player in the Jazz Band and bass clarinet player in the Wind Ensemble, said he will conduct a piece for the show, something he has “never done before.”

“It will be important for kids to get to know what real music sounds like” Dergent said, “because music today – is not music.”