Pima Butte students offer choral gift of music

Parents, grandparents and siblings packed Pima Butte Elementary School’s multi-purpose room Tuesday evening for the grades 3-5 holiday concert. It was truly “The Gift of Music” for all those in attendance.

Each grade level performed three selections. The 93 third graders, all smiles and missing teeth, came alive for “Frosty, the Snowman.” Instructor Dennis Michalski told them, “Third graders, you had me a little worried at practice, but you came through. You sang on key and did a great job.”

Fourth graders, all 72 of them, sang rousing renditions of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and “A Holly Jolly Christmas.”

The 85 combined fifth grade singers presented the concert’s finale, “Feliz Navidad.”

Fifth graders Alexa Daniel and Allanah Kalka-Riffel, the Mustang Strings, made their concert debut with pizzicato D scales and “Rolling Along.” The girls began playing their violins in early October, and, according to Michalski, “they’ve never missed a practice.”

The Mustang Winds also performed for the first time. The group consists of six fifth graders. Lauren LaValla is the flutist, Tamar Lamy, Sarah Martinez and Chad Cochran play clarinets, and Victoria Andrade and D.J. Messamore play trumpets (although Messamore was out ill for the concert).

Kerry Fulton accompanied the singing groups.

Pima Butte’s K-2 students will present their holiday concert on Tuesday, Dec. 18, in the school’s multi-purpose room.