Register Now for the 17th Annual Children’s Music Festival of Houston Set for April 2018

The two-day event showcases children’s choral and instrumental ensembles in the Greater Houston Area.

The Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) featured the Aldine Children’s Choir on the May 2017 cover of Southwestern Musician. This is the official publication of TMEA.

The mission of the Children’s Music Festival of Houston is to promote the musical abilities and experiences of first through sixth grade children.

The festival provides several opportunities for children to perform in front of renowned judges and the community. Student groups that excel may earn several different awards. The goal is to increase students’ desire to continue their music education at the secondary level.

A choral group from Klein ISD warms up for the 2017 festival.

The 17th Annual Children’s Music Festival of Houston will take place in April 2018. The festival has turned into a large event over the years. It is a two-day festival divided into two celebrations: The Orff Event and The Choral Event. All events for the festival will take place at the M.O. Campbell Educational Center (MOC; located at 1865 Aldine Bender Road, Houston 77032; tel. 281-590-7833).

Festival Events & Dates 

[ul class=”list list-search”] [li]The Orff Event: April 7 @ MOC[/li] [li]The Choral Event: April 28 @ MOC [/li][/ul]

(Schedules to TBA at a later date)

According to Colleen Riddle, many ensembles performing at the Children’s Music Festival of Houston have been invited to perform at the annual Texas Music Teachers Association (TMEA) Clinic/Convention. Riddle is director of music education at Aldine ISD.

Best of Class Awards

[ul class=”list list-search”] [li]Bravo Award[/li] [li]Choreography Award [/li][/ul][ul class=”list list-search”] [li]Tonal Award[/li] [li]Instrumental Award [/li][/ul][ul class=”list list-search”] [li]Novelty Award[/li] [li]Drumming Award [/li][/ul][ul class=”list list-search”] [li]Bells or Tone Chimes Award[/li] [li]Other Special Awards [/li][/ul]

Judges look at a variety of qualities including sound, diction, technique, rhythm, harmony, overall balance, literature selection and stage presence.

Children’s choirs (treble, unchanged voices) and instrumental ensembles that consist of students in first through sixth grade are eligible to attend the festival. Performances may include soloists within the musical piece. 

All students must be passing all subjects in school and must have acceptable conduct grades in all classes in the participating school to perform at the festival.

Meredith Mooney lauds the festival. She is the choir director at Duke Elementary School in Alvin ISD.

Meredith Mooney

“Giving your students the opportunity to perform at the Children‘s Music Festival is one of the most valuable professional development experiences you can get,” said Mooney. “The kids have a great time and you get feedback that is helpful for you as a choral director.

“I know that my teaching has been positively impacted by the experience!”

Register Now

Visit the Children’s Music Festival of Houston website to complete the registration form online. Please complete a separate form for each group. The deadline to apply is January 19, 2018.

The 2018 festival registration fee is $200.00 per choir or ensemble. The fee covers a professional audio recording of your group’s performance, certificates for group members, large participation trophy, and constructive comments from professional choral or instrumental directors.

For More Information

Please visit the Children’s Music Festival of Houston website for specific information about performance criteria, registration and payment.

We hope to see and hear student groups from across the Houston area at the Festival! 

The Benefits of Music Education

Visit the PBS webpage to learn how music education benefits children, including cognitive development. 

[ul class=”list list-search”] [li]Language Development[/li] [li]Increased IQ [/li][/ul]

[ul class=”list list-search”] [li]The Brain Works Harder[/li] [li]Spatial-Temporal Skills [/li][/ul]

[ul class=”list list-search”] [li]Improved Test Scores[/li] [li]Being Musical [/li][/ul]

Organizers invite music lovers to attend the festival to support area children as they play and sing their little hearts!