St. Vincent de Paul School Australian Musical is a hit

Photo courtesy of St. Vincent de Paul School

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First-grade students at Saint Vincent de Paul School go Down Under for an Australian musical ?The Magic Tree House Goes Down Under.? The musical was a hit.

SALT LAKE CITY - "The Magic Tree House Goes Down Under" musical was performed by 1st graders at Saint Vincent de Paul School March 5 in the Benvegnu Center.

The first grader's have been studying Australia and performed a musical highlighting the facts about this continent and its numerous marsupials.

Ed Jenkins, a parent, was the director of the musical. He worked with Jeanne Pence, the1st grade teacher and other dads on creating this musical masterpiece.

In the production, based on the "Magic Tree House" book series, the students magically arrive in the continent of Australia and encounter kookaburras, kangaroos, koalas and emus.

Jenkins rallied the dads of the students to be the volunteers and bring this musical to life. The dads did everything from set designs, and costumes to invitations. The song and dance performances highlighted Australia's uniqueness as a continent, which was part of the 1st grade core curriculum.

The musical was accompanied by Utah Symphony and Opera composer Paula Fowler.

A special part of this musical was the use of an original didgeridoo, which was a unique and ancient instrument of the Australian aborigine. It is known for evoking reverence and oneness with nature.

This project was very exciting to create and a lot of fun to perform.