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Kid Pan Alley -
A Sure Thing
By Alex Carrier
In Greene
County, Kid Pan
Alley is as
close as you
can get to a
sure thing.
Adults are
sure
children will
shine
creatively and
that the young
composers will
find every
single thing
in their lives
can be an idea
for a song.
The final
measure of Kid
Pan
 Alley’s
success is the
ending concert
– another sure
thing. For the
third year in a
row, Greene
County’s
second-graders
made the
audience laugh,
clap and love
the original
music created
and performed
by the kids.
A full house
of almost 700
family,
friends,
program
supporters and
music lovers
gathered at
William Monroe
High School to
listen to the
children
perform their
own creations
with musical
help from Kid
Pan Alley
founder Paul
Reisler and
well-known
local musician
Terri Allard.
Elizabeth
Henderson,
Ruckersville
Elementary
School music
teacher,
provided flute
accompaniment.
Carl Schmitt,
the driving
force behind
getting Kid Pan
Alley into
Greene schools,
even did double
duty helping
with the music
display.
 More
than 200
students from
the 10
second-grade
classes at
Greene Primary
School and
Ruckersville
Elementary
School
participated in
this year’s
program. Each
class composed
their songs
during two
45-minute
sessions with
Reisler and
Allard. The
young
songwriter/performers
then had a
quick rehearsal
on Friday
before the
evening’s live
performance.
Kids
surprised the
veteran adults
with unexpected
accompaniment
on maracas and
a group dressed
as
 Egyptians
to sing their
composition “I
don’t care
about the
mummies in
Egypt.”
Children sang
about their
guitar, wanting
peace and quiet
(that was a
revelation to
the adults) and
even a song
about flirting.
There were
poignant
moments about
love and all
the tears in
the ocean.
The audience
joined in as
Reisler
performed a Kid
Pan Alley
standard
(composed by
another
school), “I do
love Virginia”
which is being
promoted by
many involved
in the program
and beyond as a
contender for
Virginia’s new
state song.
 After
the last note
faded and the
last happy
child was
wrapped in hugs
and taken home,
the one sure
thing remaining
was that the
children had
learned exactly
what Paul
Reisler
envisioned when
he started Kid
Pan Alley.
“I want
children to
learn to be
creators, not
just
consumers.”
We will all
have to wait
until next year
to see what a
new batch of
Greene County
children
create.
See other
pictures of
this event and
read other
articles
by Alex Carrier
including her
weekly column
Boomer Journeys
in the
Greene County
Record |
KID PAN ALLEY 
