Local children groove to the music of the 70s

Published 6:00 am Sunday, July 31, 2016

by allen brewer

news@oxfordeagle.com

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Local children learned about a new, old type of music this week — the music of the 1970s.

Hosted by the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, Davis Jones taught youths, ages 5 through 12, about the eclectic styles of music from the 70s as part of a week-long camp held at the Powerhouse.

The camp started Monday and ended with a public performance on Friday.

“I chose the 70s because it was the most familiar to me,” Jones said. “My dad always had 70s music on, and I always loved all of the songs.”

The 70s was a time of change in American culture, which is reflected in the music of the decade. With such genres as disco, rhythm and blues, soul and rock ’n’ roll, it’s hard to pinpoint one type of music as the music of the 70s.

By immersing local children in the different style of music from the 70s Jones hopes to pass on a love for the music for the next generation. The camp’s goal is to spread the love of performing to children and encourage them to develop their skills.

“Music is a form of expression,” program assistant, Jacob Hall, said. “The groove of the music takes over and helps them show who they are.”

The camp met each day last week to work on choreography for the Friday afternoon performance. Songs practiced for the performance included, “Joy to the world,” “We will rock you,” and “Lean on me.”

Featured songs also included works by the band Queen and performer Elton John.

This year marks the second year that Jones had worked with a camp, and last year, taught the music of the 80s. By teaching children songs from different eras the camp hopes to shows the evolution of music from then to now

“I think this one was better because I got to sing more, dance and learn all about the things from the 70s,” camp member, Molly Bergeron, said.

For other members in the program, Friday was the first time they performed for a large audience.

“I liked singing, ‘Joy to the World’ because it has joy to the world in it,” camp member, Bianca Jones, 4, said.

Many of the camp members also got the chance to sing solos and duets. Jones hopes that the exposure will also cause some children to catch the acting bug and to pursue their talents in singing.

“I did a solo on the song called ‘Saturday in the Park,’” camp member Cole Oyler, 9, said. “I like it because it is very energetic and I like the music a lot.”

Though the camp only lasted a week, Jones hopes the children’s experience will last for a long time. Disco might be dead, but the records never stop spinning at the Powerhouse.

“If you want proof that all forms of music are alive, this is the place to hear it,” Hall said.