From left, Kynedi McGee, 6, Jailyn Gaines, 6, Maggie Smith, 6, James Gammill, 6, Lillian Lewis, 6, and Anna Arthur, 7, walk through hoops during a movement activity at Children’s Prep Music Studio Wednesday at the Natchez Senior Multipurpose Center.

Children’s Prep Music Studio instructor Kathleen Mackey King does an exercise during her music class with kindergarten and first-grader students. King said the classes are intended to give students a well-rounded education in music. Students learn a variety of skills from developing pitch, identifying instruments of an orchestra, building a music vocabulary and playing in front of an audience. “You have to work with their ears while they’re young,” King said. “It helps their academics because it helps their attention span and self discipline.”