A few days ago someone sent me this article about the New Braunfels Childrens’ Musuem:
McKenna Children’s Museum Launches New Music Offerings
Two New Opportunities For Kids to Sing, Play and Perform
The McKenna Children’s Museum has teamed with noted local music educator and choral instructor Heather Klossner to create two innovative opportunities for New Braunfels’ children to sing, play and enjoy music – The Children’s Chorus of McKenna and McKenna Musicians.
The Children’s Chorus of McKenna is open to 4th-6th grade children who are interested in singing, want to improve their abilities under experienced training and would like the chance to perform in public. The group will perform at several community events and will hold a holiday concert in December. Members will be chosen by audition and will require regular rehearsals.
McKenna Musicians is aimed at various age groups. These informal classes include an introductory class for children ages 1-4, a second class for Grades K-2 and a section for Grades 3-6. Those two classes will include singing, creative movement and the chance for students to use a variety of musical instruments.
The Children’s Chorus and McKenna Musicians are intended to complement music programs offered in schools and to provide opportunities for children to gain a greater appreciation for the arts and to explore their own musical interests.
“It’s part of our commitment to give teachers and students additional outlets for learning creative expression and critical thinking,” said Alice Jewell, Director of the McKenna Foundation. “Teaching an enjoyment for the arts isn’t only vital for our children, it’s important for the whole community.”
Longtime music teacher and local resident Heather Klossner will lead both programs. Heather has spent 23 years in public education, teaching classroom and choral music in the central Texas area. She holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees and has studied at Texas Lutheran, Texas State, Southern Methodist and George Mason universities. She is a past Teacher of the Year in the New Braunfels ISD and founded the NBISD Honor Choir. She currently teaches music for the Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD.
Auditions for the Children’s Chorus will take place September 2-4 from 4:30 to 6:30 pm at the McKenna Events Center. Those interested will be asked to perform a short audition of “America the Beautiful.” The Chorus will rehearse on Mondays from 4:30-6:00 pm beginning September 8, also at the McKenna Events Center. There will be a fee of $75 per semester for Children’s Museum Members. The fee for non-members is $100.
McKenna Musicians will meet every Saturday from September 13 through December 27. Ages 1-4 will meet from 10:00-10:50 am; Grades K-2 from 11:00-11:50 am and Grades 3-6 will meet from noon-12:50 pm. There will be a fee of $75 for members of the Children’s Museum and $100 for non-members.
More information can be found at www.nbchildren.org or by calling (830) 606-9523. Sign-up can be done at the front desk of the Children’s Museum, located at 801 San Antonio in New Braunfels.
About the McKenna Children’s Museum
Located at 801 West San Antonio Street in beautiful, historic downtown New Braunfels, the McKenna Children’s Museum features more than 18,000 square feet of premiere exhibit area where families can share meaningful learning experiences. The Museum provides the perfect backdrop for families to explore Hill Country themes that enable children to discover not only the world beyond their horizons, but also the one in their own backyard. Hands-on exhibits and family-friendly programs reflect the most current knowledge of children’s developmental needs – physical, cognitive, social, and emotional. The open floor plan offers easy access and visibility into a dozen surrounding galleries and program rooms. General admission from Labor Day to Memorial Day is $5.50 for everyone over the age of 12 months. Annual family memberships begin at $125.
I have been wanting to post about this awesome place for a little while now. My kids love this place, the play area designs are brilliant. There are lots of hand’s on activities like grocery shopping, working on the Zeitung Herald paper or at McKenna hospital, and painting the old VW bug parked outside.. Its just fun fun fun and will definitely captivate your imagination right along with your child’s. If you want to see what’s inside check out these pictures of my girls at the Museum:
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- McKenna Hospital
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- The Herald-Zietung
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- Emma analyzing some organisms
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- Emma to the rescue!
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- Esmee kayaking through the museum
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- Buying all the essentials
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- Esmee on a camel
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- The super big giraffe
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- The Bug
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- Photogenic fish
