CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – More than 170 costume-clad children from the Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi will present scenes from “The Wizard of Oz” Thursday, April 26 from 9 to 10:30 a.m. in the Performing Arts Center.

The ECDC’s arts, music and drama programs have collaborated for the presentation, according to Kelly Balmaceda, ECDC drama instructor.

“The arts are a great way to integrate parts of the curriculum,” Balmaceda said. “It’s a wonderful interdisciplinary tool and it provides meaningful ways for students to practice lessons that their teachers have taught.”

The entire school, made up of students ages 3 to 11 (Pre-K to fifth grade), will perform select scenes that will include narration in both English and Spanish. Balmaceda, who has worked with the school’s Music Instructor Nan Borden and Principal Dr. Christine Marroquin, added this is the school’s debut for large scale performances.
 
“The children have learned the process of how a fully-staged musical works,” Balmaceda said. “They designed their own backdrops, set designs, costume designs and developed their own characters to prepare for the performance.”