This week the Selma Children’s Chorus and Orchestra held its first board meeting. The idea has taken a little bit of time to get off the ground but now appears to have strong support.

It has formed a board with diverse members of the community, including the Rev. Leodis Strong of Brown Chapel AME Church and the Rev. Jack Alvey of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, along with others musicians, ministers and business leaders.

Hopefully, this core group will make the chorus and orchestra a reality by the time school starts back in the fall. The board has raised some money and gotten a grant from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and is about halfway to its $25,000 goal. At the point, the board would be able to hire a music director to work with the 20 to 30 young people that will make up the chorus and orchestra.

Selma and Dallas County have a long history of support for the arts, and this seems like a natural extension of that legacy. Also, due to funding cuts, many schools have had no choice but to cut music, and other fine arts. According to the National Association of Music Education, studying music helps develop language and reasoning and improves memorization. A program like this also increases the chance of local students earning college scholarships in music.

Anyone who would like more information about the children’s chorus and orchestra can contact Alvey at St. Paul’s at 874-8421.