Preschool Festival of Arts opens at Bliss Institute
And if you’re tired of all the news on crime, there is something positive to look forward to. At the Bliss Institute for Performing Arts this morning, a week of entertainment by the district’s youngest performers was launched. In keeping with Child Stimulation Month, which is celebrated throughout March, the third annual Preschool Festival of Arts opened with a ceremony and an art display from the various schools, featuring the handiwork of the pre-schoolers. National Coordinator for the Ministry of Education’s Expressive Arts in Schools Program, Leroy Green, says the festival is growing.
Leroy Green, Natl Coord., Expressive Arts in Schools Program
“In the few years we’ve been doing this we’ve seen a growth. The first year there were twenty-three, last year there was twenty-six and this year there were thirty-six schools participating in the Preschool Festival of Arts.”
Delahnie Bain
“And what kind of performances can the audience look forward to?”
Leroy Green
“As you’ll see in a short while when the opening beings, there will be performances in drama, dance and music from the preschools in the Belize District. I must mention too that this thing is happening all over the country during this week and upstairs in the lobby there is an art display also by the preschool children.”
Delahnie Bain
“So each district has a separate festival?”
Leroy Green
“Each district celebrates Child Stimulation Month in March and the festival is one of the major highlights in each district.”
Delahnie Bain
“What do you think these kids are acquiring from performing in these festivals?”
Leroy Green
“Well, they’re gaining self esteem, they’re also learning to express themselves using voice, face and body, and they’re getting exposed to the expressive arts and who knows, one day one of them might be a great artist.”
Also launched at the Bliss today was the book ‘Preschool Poetry’, written by Green and Alvin Ledlon. The collection of children’s rhymes is intended as a handbook for preschool teachers and each poem comes with a set of questions to allow for interactive learning to foster comprehension at an early age.
