ST. CLOUD -- Local kids will have the chance to explore and learn about music and perform with a professional musical group this weekend.

The St. John’s Boy’s Choir and SCSU Cantabile Girl’s Choir are hosting their 11th annual KidSing event on Saturday at the St. Cloud State University Performing Arts Center.

The event starts at  9:30 a.m. and includes all-day workshops for the students and a concert for the public at 4:00 p.m. in Ritsche Auditorium.

Andre Heywood is the artistic director for the St. John’s Boy’s Choir. He says the event has grown a lot over the last 11 years.

Knowing that school music programs face cuts and so on we wanted school music teachers to have something else that they could offer to their kids to give them the experience that they wanted. And we found from doing it a couple years that it reached far beyond the music teachers. We had home schools who wanted to provide this opportunity for their kids, and this has grown. We already have about 100 people signed up for the event.

This year they have invited special guests Tonic-Sol-Fa. Heywood says he hopes the Minnesota natives will get the students excited about music.

I think their energy and their positivity and their humor and their stage presence will really get kids excited about singing because I think that’s the first step, to be honest. This event is for kids in grades three, four, and five, and at that age, it’s really important just to get them motivated and excited about making music, about being involved in the arts.

Tickets range from $5 to $10 and are available online or at the door.

More From AM 1240 WJON