Phil Fracker chuckles when he hears that the Jackson Symphony Orchestra's Family Music Festival and Fair has been scheduled on Super Bowl Sunday.

Fracker, who's been performing at the festival for the past three years or so with Witness IV, a folk/gospel quartet, says that does mean a little competition for the seventh annual festival.

"It'll be tough on middle-aged men," he jokes.

Of course, that's not the target audience for the festival, which offers kids up to 12 years old a chance to try instruments they've never seen before, to learn how music fits into subjects such as science and history, and to hear from storyteller Anna Celenza how a symphony is made, while the Jackson Symphony Orchestra plays.

Fortunately, the timing works out. Moms and dads can put the chili on simmer and enjoy the festival with their kids from noon to 5 p.m., and still get home in time for the kickoff at 6:15 p.m.

Celenza will read her book, "The Farewell Symphony," while the Jackson Symphony Orchestra plays the Haydn symphony at 2:30 p.m. Then winners of a poetry contest will have the chance to get up and read their poems.

Otherwise, the schedule is open. Families can wander from room to room in Jackson High School, learning how to play harmonica with the Mojo Phoenix blues band, or finding out what a banjo looks like with Marie and Fred Bruey of the Jackson Banjo Club.

Marie Bruey said kids rarely have any idea what a banjo is when they first enter their room. She said she gives the child her pick and has him or her strum the banjo while she forms the chords on the banjo's neck. If the child is young, she might choose a simple song such as "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" or "Happy Birthday." Older children might hear a classic folk song such as "My Darling Clementine."

She and Fred sing the song, too, she said, and parents often sing along.

"It's fun to see the look in their eyes when they finish playing," she said.

Fracker said his group, Witness IV, formed as a gospel/folk group at Immanuel Lutheran Church 17 years ago. But at the festival, they sing mostly folk songs, from "Four Strong Winds" to Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind." One of the group's members, Jeffrey Williams, writes a lot of their material, too, so they'll pull out some of his songs, such as "The Carp Song."

"It's an opportunity for kids to learn about our kind of music," he said.

Marie Bruey said the festival also gives kids a chance to learn that they can make music themselves, not just hear it on the radio or on CDs. She said their grandson, Mark, was 3 when he came to the festival last year.

"I was amazed at how he picked up that French horn and tooted away," she said. "I think it's fantastic."

Fracker said it's a wonderful way for people to see how music brings communities together.

"I think it just gives an opportunity for the whole community to come out and enjoy the wonderful spectrum of music" no matter what their background," he said. "It brings people together, and it celebrates their diversity."

-- Reach reporter Mary Barber at 768-4971 or mbarber@citpat.com.

© 2004 Jackson Citizen Patriot.
All rights Reserved. Reprinted with permission