by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
Summer is a time when many children might express the sentiment, “There’s nothing to do.”
The Main Library Downtown is offering a new program this summer that’s geared toward children ages 6-14 that provides a live music experience.
Scheduled at 4 p.m. every other Tuesday through August, “Music Club” is intended to provide entertainment and a hands-on musical activity.
“For a lot of kids, this will be their first exposure to live music,” said Josh Jubinsky, senior librarian associate in the Main Library’s Children’s Department, who is coordinating the program.
The club debuted June 14 with a performance by Von Barlow and Jazz Journey. Barlow is a member of the Jacksonville Jazz Festival Hall of Fame.
He and the band provided entertainment and some education concerning the instruments played by band members.
Barlow also brought along his invention, “Click Sticks,” and conducted a performance by audience members and the professional musicians.
Tuesday’s scheduled guest musician is Tony Steve, professor of percussion and composition at Jacksonville University.
Steve also has been a member of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra for 13 years, toured with “A Chorus Line” in Europe and performed at Madison Square Garden for a production of “A Christmas Carol.”
Steve will be demonstrating different percussion instruments and showing excerpts from silent films on the big screen in the Hicks Auditorium as he performs a live soundtrack.
For more information about “Music Club” and other summer programs for children at the Main Library, call 630-2417.
Along the lines of a different musical genre, the 6th Annual Teen battle of the Bands is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday in the Multipurpose Room in the Main Library Conference Center (near the Main Street entrance).
Five bands will compete for prizes and all ages are invited to the show. Call 630-0673 for more information.
The Main Library also offers more traditional book-related activities for the summer months.
“Harry Potter’s World” is a collection of books and activities based on J.K. Rowling’s best-selling novels.
A schedule of activities and a collection of books exploring topics found in the novels are available for library customers of all ages, said Ali Loftin, community relations specialist.
“We thought it would be a good time to offer this collection because the new Harry Potter movie is coming out July 15. A lot of avid Harry Potter fans are library customers and this exhibit gives a different look at his world,” she said.
Loftin said many elements found in the books, such as herbal medicine and mythology, originated in the Renaissance era and some of the content on the extended reading list “is on a little higher level, which means adults can enjoy it, too.”
Summer is a time when many people of all ages have more time to read because of being out of school or on vacation. It’s also the time of year for a different kind of reading.
“It’s a very good time to experience what the library has to offer in a leisure setting. Instead of reading something required for a class or for work, people can read just for leisure. They can read something they love just for the joy of it or explore a new interest when your world isn’t about school or work,” said Loftin.
The “One World, Many Stories” program for readers 6-12 years old features the Hampstead Stage Company’s performances of “Aladdin and the Lamp” based on “Tales from the Arabian Nights: The Thousand and One Nights,” and “Didgeridoo Down Under,” a collection of stories and music from Australia.
The theatre company also has scheduled a program for teens based on the art of stage combat, said Loftin.
For a different library-related summer experience, the Jacksonville Public Library is partnering with the Jacksonville Suns baseball team Aug. 7.
Children under 12 who show a library card at the Baseball Grounds box office will receive a free general admission ticket to the game, where the Suns will take on the Chattanooga Lookouts.
Also, Suns President and General Manager Peter Bragan Jr. is sponsoring a summer reading contest. Children receive an entry every time they read five books for a chance to win a bicycle.
“The point of all the programs is to springboard people of all ages into reading,” said Loftin.
To learn more about what’s available at the public library, free of charge, visit www.jaxpubliclibrary.org.
356-2466