The music department and its parent volunteers will host a vocal and instrumental recital 3 p.m. on April 28 at the Hays Public Library. This recital will be the first of four events that make up the Spring for Music Festival.

As of now, the students are set to do mock performances of their solos in the vocal room from 6:30-8:20 p.m. April 1-4 for vocal director Alex Underwood, Alex Rome, and Johnny and Shelby Matlock.

“Parents are welcome to sit in as well, but it’s mostly meant for everyone to have a chance to announce, be nervous, sing their pieces in front of a small group from memory for the first time, and get some feedback before they go to regionals the following Saturday,” Underwood said.

Due to regional contest being out of town, Underwood said the recital at the library at the end of the month is meant to showcase the hard work of the student soloists that the community would otherwise miss.

“This (along with three other events) is what replaces Dinner Show,” Underwood said. “The Spring for Music Festival takes the crazy amount of performances at the end of April and the beginning of May and divides them into more manageable categories. It will help tone down the amount of hours that everyone has to put in at the end of school.”

The idea of Spring for Music is to utilize the different venues around town. The parent volunteers are planning to serve a variety of teas, scones, and other refreshments for this first event at the library.

“It’ll be nice for those who are looking to enjoy a fancy afternoon with no fuss,” Underwood said. “It’ll also be a great way for the public to hear some of our soloists doing their very best work.”

21cleiker@usd489.com