Kids of all ages were able to take a few days to learn more about music at Zion UCC in Lehighton.

The church held its sixth annual Summer Music Academy from Saturday through Wednesday for kids ranging from kindergarten to college. The free program provided a variety musical instruction and ended with a presentation on Wednesday evening."It's a lot of fun for kids who play instruments in school and for kids who just started playing," academy director Brad Cressley said.The program was made up of different stations that the kids could rotate through as they wanted.None of the stations were mandatory, allowing each child to learn in a way they were comfortable with.Each night, the junior band, senior band, recorder lessons, singing, and crafts were available for the 35 kids to choose from.The junior band was made up of third through eighth grade students, and the senior band was for ninth through 12th grade and college students.The crafts were mainly for the younger kids who participated in the academy. The craft items were household objects donated by church members. All of the crafts were music-related, giving them the name "recycled rhythm."This year's academy had a movie and TV show theme. Music from popular shows and movies that were going to be played at the demonstration were chosen by the kids.Cressley, who is also the director of music for Zion UCC, was assisted by several music teachers as well as college students with music backgrounds to help teach the kids."Our goal is to give these kids a better appreciation for music," Cressley said.The demonstration was held in the church parish in front of an audience of friends and family.A total of 15 songs were performed, including theme songs from "The Addams Family" and "Phineas and Ferb" from the choir section. The junior and senior bands played selections like "Tomorrow" from the movie "Annie" and "Great Movie Adventures," an arrangement of songs composed by John Williams from movies like "Jurassic Park," "Star Wars," and "E.T."