For more than two decades, Connie Dieterich has led the Fun with Music and Ring & Sing children’s music education programs at Lakeside. Prior to this season, she announced her retirement from these programs.
When asked a few years ago to explain the meaning of these programs, Dieterich said, “Children have been learning about and making music in Bradley Temple since it was built more than 100 years ago. Participating in Fun with Music and Ring & Sing is an opportunity for children not only to perform and to experience the fundamentals of music, but to make friends and to learn more about themselves and their Lakeside Chautauqua community.”
Each week during Fun with Music (ages 4-7) and Ring & Sing (ages 8-12), children would come to Bradley Temple to learn how to sing songs and play instruments, while also gaining instruction in music theory Tuesdays-Thursdays. On Fridays, a performance for family and friends was held so the children could showcase what they learned throughout the week.
Although now retired, Dieterich invites anyone to stop by her cottage at 516 Cherry Ave. and say hello whenever they’re at Lakeside.
And as the song goes that concluded every Fun with Music and Ring & Sing performance, “May there always be sunshine, may there always be blue skies, may there always be Lakeside, may there always be you! May there always be sunshine, may there always be blue skies, may there always be Lakeside, may there always be me!”
