First- and second-graders love nothing more than seeing a grown man jump around like a monkey, make silly faces and run across their school’s gym in pink, polka dotted, pajama pants with ruffles on the bottom.

Add in choreographed violin music and great stories and the hoots and hollers coming from Ferriday Lower Elementary Friday morning were deafening.

The school’s children and teachers were treated to a &uot;Strings and Stories&uot; concert presented by The Piatigorsky Foundation of New York, and a few chosen students became part of the show.

It was second-grader Christian Wilson’s snoring that got him a spot on the stage to perform as a character in &uot;The Town Where Sleeping was not Allowed.&uot;

Storyteller, actor and pink pants wearer, Bill Blush held impromptu auditions for snoring, and chose Wilson. At key intervals in the story Blush planted the microphone in front of Wilson for a loud snore.

&uot;I liked the way it sounded,&uot; Wilson said of his snoring in the microphone.

Wilson, who said his aunt taught him how to snore, said he liked being in front of everyone and performing.

&uot;The one with me in it was the best,&uot; he said.

Blush and his partner Linda Rosenthal, who plays the violin, travel the country performing for school groups and family concerts. Near the start of the show, Blush pointed out to the children the importance of the music to the way he told the story and asked them to identify sounds with characters.

&uot;Music is a part of the fabric,&uot; Rosenthal said after the show. &uot;Music is telling the story and they get that.&uot;

&uot;Strings and Stories&uot; was brought to FLES by the Concordia Parish Library, which has worked with The Piatigorsky Foundation before, library Director Amanda Taylor said.

&uot;To really get it to the children we just brought it to the school system,&uot; Taylor said.

Concordia Parish was one of the first stops on the current tour for Blush and Rosenthal. In the coming weeks the duo will visit Monroe, Jonesboro and Shreveport.