The Leon County Schools Arts & Music Fest showcases work from 30 schools

Hundreds gathered this weekend to enjoy the Leon County Schools Arts & Music Fest, an event that celebrated the talents of our local arts teachers and students. More than 30 schools took over Kleman Plaza…

Hundreds gathered this weekend to enjoy the Leon County Schools Arts & Music Fest, an event that celebrated the talents of our local arts teachers and students. More than 30 schools took over Kleman Plaza and offered performances on three stages and a pop-up art gallery featuring more than 90 piece of artwork. The literary arts also factored into the festival and 270 parents spent time reading with their kids.

The Fairview Middle School jazz band, one of the featured ensembles, played for an enthusiastic crowd. Devan Moore, the Fairview band and orchestra director, was beaming after her students’ performance.

“They play exciting music that everybody can bob their head to, tap their toes to, and dance if they need to.”Moore is eager to see what the future holds for the 18 students in the jazz band. “I know of a couple of students have already expressed interest in pursuing music beyond secondary education, so that means I’m doing something right and it makes me feel good.”

After carefully packing up their instruments, several of the musicians wanted to share their thoughts about the experience and reflect on what they’d just accomplished. Eighth-grader Taylor Haworth appreciated the audience and enjoyed “being out in public and having people listen and stop to pay attention to you.

It’s really cool to be able to see yourself pulling new people into the music world.” Eighth-grader Mia Moldenhauer was nervous about her solo but acknowledged that performances like these “build your self-confidence because you can perform in front of a lot of people, it helps you get over the fear. It makes me want more because I know I can do it.”

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