What can the arts do to remember, celebrate, commemorate and preserve the memories of veterans who served their country and local communities in times of both war and peace? Can such efforts cherish traditions, build understanding and simultaneously teach and inspire creativity?

To both pose and answer such socially relevant questions and concerns, the Music Department of Shelbyville Central Schools, in conjunction with The Strand Theatre, will present a musical and narrative journey honoring those who served in the military Wednesday night at 7:30.  The artistically inspired tribute will also be shown at future events at Breck Auditorium in Shelbyville High School and before upcoming movies at the Strand.

This student- driven “Tribute to Shelby County Veterans,” will present 10-short, musically-themed, video interviews with local veterans and is free and open to the public. It is the artistic legacy of local students creatively committed to and dedicated to the arts and the community they know as home.

“This project shows how the art of music provides a natural way to give back to a community that has given so much to me,” said junior Bethany Alvarado, in one vignette. “The arts are a great deal more than a show .They allow me to put everything I’ve learned together so I too can make the world a better place.”

Roughly 120 students were involved in the year- long process of creating this creative, educational tribute, according to Russ Smith, SHS band director and teacher.

Each video vignette features four SHS music students, as historians, talking with past members of the Armed Services accompanied by musical scores written, performed and recorded by students of  the music department. The four musicians- turned -videographers are Jessica Cossairt, Hillary Smith, Lyndsey Pettit and Chris Davies. The original scores were composed by music theory students and the music was performed and recorded by a ninety-piece “Wind Ensemble,” comprised of SHS band members.

These students then did all the necessary creative grunt-work (both narrative and musical) to fuse art with history. Additionally, these inspired fusions will serve as archival material for aspiring artists and local historians of the future. This educational aspect of the narrative-musical vignettes will enable newer generations to understand, appreciate and reflect on the past service of the local veterans.

“The kids have learned a lot more than we’ve ever dreamed they would,” said Smith. “I think the best part of this project is to be able to honor those who have served their country and then returned to make this a special place to live.”

The project was funded by an Arts In Education Grant obtained in February from the Indiana Arts Commission and students received professional, technical guidance in video production, recording, and local history by several volunteers at the Strand, which also provided the physical facilities for the interviews.

The IAC grant was “created to help support curriculum needs, impact individual student engagement and performance, and develop a long term commitment to the arts in schools at the primary and secondary levels,” according to Indiana Arts Commission Web Page. “Schools are asked to develop a working partnership with an artist, organization, business or group to develop and implement a successful project.”

Submitted by:  Terrance Aldridge

This preview does not express the opinion of the Strand Theatre.